Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has explained his company’s message of solidarity with Black Lives Matter to an angry customer.
Bezos on Friday shared an email exchange with a person identified as Macy who was upset with a prominent banner at the top of Amazon’s main page that read “Black Lives Matter” and linked to a blog post explaining what the company is doing to support the black community. The banner has since been removed.
“I am for everyone voicing their opinions and standing up for what you believe in, but for your company to blast this on your website is very offensive to me and I’m sure you’ll be hearing from others,” the customer wrote, adding the slogan “All Lives Matter”, which is commonly used by critics of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в InstagramI got this email from a customer and wanted to share my response.
Bezos replied with usual talking points of BLM supporters: “‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter. Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.”
He went on to argue that he doesn’t worry about his son being choked to death in police custody, saying that black parents do not feel the same way.
Bezos’s post has divided commenters; some praised him for standing with the black community, but others said that wasn’t enough.
“Okay, you’ve shared your response,” one user wrote. “NOW SHARE THE DAMMIT WEALTH.”
Another said: “Then stop selling facial recognition tech to police that is putting increasing amounts of black men and women behind bars!”
“You're only posting this because you'll be outed by Hollywood if you don't,” yet another person quipped. “Can anyone else see through it?”
Amazon on Wednesday pledged to donate $10 million – 0.086 percent of its last year's revenue – to a dozen organisations that support social justice and education for black communities across the US.
The company, however, has been accused of hypocrisy by its own employees for continuing to sell face-recognition surveillance technology to police despite increased concerns over the use of excessive force toward protesters.
Which police contracts have you cut? How many remain? https://t.co/uhbPV6vLcI
— Amazonians: We Won't Build It (@WeWontBuildIt) June 2, 2020
Amazon’s tech, Rekognition, has been used by law enforcement officers all over the country, but the company recently acknowledged it doesn’t know exactly how many police departments are employing it.
Civil rights activists and AI researchers alike have voiced concerns that this technology may supercharge the police and undermine people’s privacy and liberties. Meanwhile, MIT experts revealed last year that the tech appears to have racial and gender biases.
