Amazon breached UK’s sanctions against russia, claims ex-employee at tribunal

Amazon allegedly sold access to its image recognition service Rekognition to the russian company VisionLabs. Information about this surfaced at the trial of former Amazon Web Services (AWS) employee Charles Forrest, writes the Financial Times.

Briton Forrest claims that the contract for the supply of Rekognition solutions to VisionLabs was signed back in 2020. VisionLabs bought access to the technology “through what appears to be a shell company based in the Netherlands.” The contract went on despite the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions.

In May 2023, he reported Amazon's illegal activities to the UK House of Commons Defense Select Committee and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Amazon denies his claims “based on the available evidence and payment records.”

VisionLabs facial recognition are used in the city video surveillance system “Safe City”, Sberbank, the Moscow metro and the Federal Tax Service.

Source

@freerussia_report