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Google is testing facial recognition technology for office security “to help prevent unauthorized individuals from entering our campuses,” according to a description of the project seen by CNBC.
Initial testing was conducted on one of the alphabetical The site is located in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, the document said. Internal security cameras have been collecting facial data and comparing it to stored images of employee badge images, including extended employees, to help determine if there are unauthorized individuals on the premises.
Google’s Security and Resiliency Services (GSRS) team will use the data to help identify people who “may pose a security risk to Google’s people, products, or locations,” the document said.
“Protocols are in place to identify, report and potentially remove known unauthorized individuals to maintain the security of our people and spaces,” it said.
At the Kirkland testing site, people entering the building will not be able to opt out of facial screening. However, the document says the data is “strictly for immediate use, not storage” and that employees can opt out of having their ID images stored by filling out a form. Google told CNBC that while ID photos are part of the test, they will not be used going forward.
“For years, our security teams have been testing and implementing new systems and protections to help keep our people and spaces as safe as possible,” a Google spokesperson said in an email.
Google has experienced at least one noteworthy incident of violence in the past. In 2018, a woman opened fire at YouTube offices in San Bruno, California, injuring three people. The shooter allegedly targeted YouTube because she “hated” the company blocking her videos.
The Kirkland test comes at a sensitive time for Google, which is at the center of the artificial intelligence boom and is rapidly adding artificial intelligence to its portfolio of products and services. Facial recognition technology is particularly controversial because of privacy concerns around surveillance.
In 2021, Google proposed a new security changes, including fencing around parts of its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., especially since its construction plans include public and retail space. Most recently, company executives cut ties with employees, citing safety concerns, following a series of layoffs and protests over the past year.
In early 2023, the company announced plans to cut about 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, in response to the downturn in the online advertising market and the broader economic slowdown. Google recently laid off more employees and moved some engineering positions to India and Mexico.
In a high-profile incident in April, Google terminated more than 50 employees It follows a series of protests over labor conditions at the company and over Project Nimbus, Google’s cloud and artificial intelligence contract with the Israeli government and military. Employees staged sit-ins at the New York and Sunnyvale offices.
Chris Rackow, Google’s vice president of global security, told employees at an all-hands meeting last month that “extensive use of all our camera footage” could help identify people the company deems disruptive during protests. Employees, as well as their colleagues who made them feel threatened and unsafe, according to audio of the meeting obtained by CNBC.
Facial recognition technology became a big topic for lawmakers in 2020 following pressure from civil rights advocates and nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd. Amazon, Microsoft and International Business Machines Corporation It has imposed restrictions on the sale of its technology to police.
The next year, Amazon was questioned by U.S. senators about its surveillance of workers after it deployed artificial intelligence-equipped cameras on delivery trucks. April, warehouse worker sue amazon It accuses the company of illegally collecting biometric data, including facial scans. Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission proposed banning Rite Aid from using facial recognition software in its pharmacies for five years to resolve allegations that it improperly used the technology to identify shoplifters.
Security is a costly endeavor for Google, not just on campus but all the way up to the top of the company. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai’s personal protection costs cost the company $6.8 million in 2023, up from $5.9 million a year earlier, according to regulators. Filing.
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