Microsoft pulls out of AnyVision investment following surveillance controversy

Microsoft is selling its stake in Israeli facial recognition company AnyVision, NBC News reports. The move comes later on Microsoft commissioned an independent investigation into claims that the company'southward engineering was used by the Israeli government to surveil Palestinian people in the West Bank.

Microsoft initially invested $74 1000000 in AnyVision concluding June through its M12 investment arm. Afterward allegations of the Israeli regime using the company's technology for surveillance of Palestinians arose in press reports last October, Microsoft enlisted former U.S. Attorney Full general Eric Holder and his squad at police firm Covington & Burling to investigate the claims to decide whether AnyVision was in disharmonize with with Microsoft's ethical principles regarding facial recognition.

The results of the audit were published today, stating the following:

The bachelor show demonstrated that AnyVision's technology has non previously and does not currently power a mass surveillance plan in the West Bank that has been alleged in media reports. As such, Covington could not substantiate a breach of the Microsoft Global Finance Portfolio Company Pledge on Facial Recognition.

Covington says that it interviewed AnyVision employees and third parties, account records, and other documents every bit part of its investigation. However, Covington notes that its "review was limited in certain respects by legal restrictions on the disclosure of sensitive information."

"After conscientious consideration, Microsoft and AnyVision accept agreed that it is in the best interest of both enterprises for Microsoft to divest its shareholding in AnyVision," Microsoft said in a statement to NBC News. "For Microsoft, the audit process reinforced the challenges of being a minority investor in a company that sells sensitive technology, since such investments do not mostly allow for the level of oversight or command that Microsoft exercises over the use of its ain engineering."

Microsoft as well said that, in an try to ensure "greater oversight and command over the employ of sensitive technologies," it will finish minority investments in companies that deal with facial recognition technologies.

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