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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to facial recognition technology. On Friday, the company announced it was divesting its stake in a facial recognition start-up and vowed to no longer make minority investments in the area.

Through its M12 venture fund, the software giantannounced over the weekendthat it and AnyVision, an Israeli-based facial recognition start-up, will part ways, with Microsoft divesting its stake in the company.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

AnyVision has been mired in controversy since October, whenNBC News reportedthe start-up was using facial recognition technology to surveil Palestinians living in the West Bank. Microsoft drew criticism for taking part in AnyVision's Series Afundraising round in June, where it raised $74 million in venture funding.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and his team at law firm Covington & Burling conducted an audit of AnyVision. The law firm was able to confirm AnyVision's technology is used in border crossing checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank but found no evidence AnyVision's technology is powering a mass surveillance program in the West Bank. Nevertheless, Microsoft opted to divest its stake.

"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 generally allow for the level of oversight or control that Microsoft exercises over the use of its own technology," the company said in a statement.

"By making a global change to its investment policies to end minority investments in companies that sell facial recognition technology, Microsoft's focus has shifted to commercial relationships that afford Microsoft greater oversight and control over the use of sensitive technologies."

Microsoft isn't giving up on the technology completely. The company does offer facial recognition tech through Azure, its cloud offering. Dubbed Face, it enables developers toembed facial recognitioninto apps.

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Microsoft Will No Longer Make Minority Investments in Facial Recognition Tech - Motley Fool

Three-fifths. Thats all we were counted for. We were voiceless.

Thats how a recent Fair Count ad began. Of course, the advertisement referenced the 1787 Three-Fifths Compromise, which recommended counting three out of every five slaves as people when determining political representation. Sure, weve come a long way, but just how far, exactly?

The Urban Institute estimated that over 1.7 million black people could be undercounted in the 2020 Census. Each person counted brings federal dollars to their state (e.g., about $2,300 per person in Georgia). Conversely, each state loses money for every person not counted. At varying amounts in each state, the undercount of 1.7 million black people could result in a loss of over $3 billion in federal fundingevery year for the next 10 years. That loss in funding would impact education, transportation, healthcare and infrastructure resources in vulnerable communities that cannot afford losses. Furthermore, failure to get an accurate count negatively impacts our power, because census data are used to allocate political power at federal, state, and local levels.

Historically, black men, in particular, have experienced high net undercount rates in the Census, with some age groups being undercounted by 10 percent in 2010. In May 2019, Former Attorney General Eric Holder joined Stacey Abrams and Fair Count at the launch of the Black Men Count Statewide Complete Count Committee in Georgia, and he led a roundtable discussion to raise awareness of the impacts of undercounting black men in the census. Black Men Count is composed of faith leaders, elected officials, barbers, students, fraternity leaders, and returning citizens. These men have created an innovative approach for outreach targeting black men.

Along the way, Fair Count has partnered with similarly-minded groups like Black Dads Count and Sigma Pi Phi, Inc. (also known as the Boul), making Black Men Count a national initiative. One of the most innovative approaches for outreach is a program called Black Men Speak, which was created to give black men space to gather and strategize to ensure that theyre all being counted and engaging civically in Georgia and across the nation. These informal gatherings have led to the education and engagement of countless black men.

But there has been one group in particular that has not been mentioned yet, and this group has always contributed greatly to the positive outcomes for black men. You guessed itblack women. Black women have been an instrumental part of outreach to black men. Are we surprised? After all, black women have been the foundation of our communities for generations.

The news is saturated with articles about the power that black women will yield in 2020 elections, but black women must also harness that power and influence to ensure a fair count in the 2020 Census. As leaders, mothers, entrepreneurs, sisters, teachers, partners, and mentors, black women will lead the charge to make sure that black children, families and communities receive the resources and representation that they deserve. To make this a reality, Fair Count partnered with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), which reaches millions of black women across the country, to start the Sisters for the Census campaign.

The campaign kicked off with a virtual roundtable, hosted by Mo Ivory, featuring Fair Count Founder, Stacey Abrams and NCNW President, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole. The lively conversation included discussions about how the Census impacts our daily lives, ways that we can get folks engaged, and even a threat to call down the spirits of our ancestors to haunt those that dont participate. However, the most poignant moment came from Cole who said, We cant see this as a 2020 issue. This is connected to every struggle we have been engaged in for our rights as human beings. So, if you cant take a matter of minutes to fill it outyou are saying that every one of the individuals that the good Lord made with this wonderful hueit doesnt matter what they have done, who they are. And most importantly, you are saying that the future of black children is meaningless.

In 2010, 3.8 million black people were flat out missed in the Census. Moreover, 2.2 million young children (under 5 years old) were missed, and black and brown children were twice as likely to be undercounted than white kids. We cant let this happen again. Between Black Men Count and Sisters for the Census. we plan to get every black man, woman, and child counted. Whether youre a citizen, immigrant, or undocumentedyou count. Because as Stacey Abrams said, [If] we are not counted, theyll erase us from the future of this country.

We also understand that were in the midst of a pandemic, so Fair Count is using virtual events, digital outreach, phone-based efforts, advertising and other creative strategies to safely engage people around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please take time today to visit 2020 Census to complete the 2020 Census online. You can also participate by phone or mail. When youre done, encourage someone else to participate, and visit Fair Count for additional resources and to learn more about how you can get involved.

We can all agree that being counted in the 2020 Census as a whole person, whole family, whole household and whole community places us on an upward trajectory to creating a more fair and equitable society where our communities get the resources and power that they deserve. Remember, we only get one shot every 10 years, so we have to get it right this time. Our ancestors and children are watching.

Ed Reed is program director at Fair Count, and he leads Black Men Count. He and his wife recently welcomed an adorable baby boy!

Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is vice president at Fair Count, and she leads Sisters for the Census. She and her husband have two sons.

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Census 2020 Is Happening Right Now. Here's Why It Matters to the Black Community - The Root

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani criticized his successor Michael Bloomberg for allowing the NYPDs stop-and-frisk program to spiral out of control and for now disowning the policy on the campaign trail.

"What is this stuff that hes condemning stop and frisk? I did it for eight years. He did it for 12. I did a hundred stops. He did six hundred. Six hundred! Hes the one who took the damn program and, you know, took it the level of six hundred, Giuliani said of the 2020 Democrat to radio host John Catsimatidis on The Cats Roundtable Sunday morning on New Yorks 970 AM.

Bloomberg, who continued stop and frisk following Giuliani's tenure in office, began apologizing for it back in November. However, previously recorded remarks by the former New York City mayor regarding how his administration used the policy to profile individuals by race surfaced last week, putting the candidate further on the defensive and apologizing for the policy.

I was always a little annoyed at him for taking the program and not really monitoring it and letting it run out of control, from a hundred to six hundred, down to only like 5% guns, Giuliani said of successor's handling of the stop-and-frisk policy his administration initially launched to tackle violent crime in New York City at the time.

According to Giuliani, former President Bill Clintons Justice Department under Janet Reno and Eric Holder reviewed the stop-and-frisk program when Giuliani was mayor of the city and found that it did not violate the Constitution, but after Bloomberg took office in 2001, Giuliani said his oversight of the program became too lax.

I went to the Justice Department eight years earlier and argued myself with Reno and Holder and talked him out of prosecuting us, the city for civil rights violations in 2000, 2001, and I knew the reason for that was that we kept very tight control on the data," the president's personal attorney explained.

According to Giuliani, one hundred was the appropriate number for which the city would get a return that showed it was proportionate to the city population.

They got so taken with the fact that if you search 600,000 people, surely you're going to keep the guns off the street because everybody's gonna get searched that walks around that neighborhood. But then again, there is a Constitution, and you can't search everybody, he said.

Looking back, Giuliani regretted defending Bloomberg nearly 20 years ago when people began questioning the Bloomberg administrations overuse of the stop-and-frisk policy.

I defended him throughout I had to keep my mouth shut," he said. "But now that he's turned on the program and turned on [former NYPD Commissioner Ray] Kelly, I mean, he was 100% in favor of that program, as enthusiastic about it as I was, and bragged about it a lot when he was mayor.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, agrees, having told reporters late last week that Bloomberg cannot blame Giuliani or anybody else for his own failure with the program.

"Stop and frisk was uniquely and largely a Bloomberg administration policy. I don't think he can blame it on a predecessor. I don't think you can blame it on anyone after, and also he never made the choice to stop, stop and frisk," she said. "It was a judge that struck it down. He appealed the judge's decision. And I think most importantly, when, you know, in this apology that was issued people's lives were ruined."

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Giuliani slams Bloomberg over stop-and-frisk policy: He let it get 'out of control' - Washington Examiner

CNNs Dana Bash locked horns with Marc Short on Sunday as she pressed the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence over Donald Trumps recent remarks about numerous matters of law enforcement.

The interview began with a focus on how Attorney General William Barr gave an interview recently where he contradicted Trump on several topics, not the least of which by saying the presidents tweets make it impossible to do my job. Trump, on the other hand, has dismissed that critique by tweeting about how he has the legal right to direct Barr as he sees fit.

In his reaction, Short dismissed Barrs comments while saying the AG is doing a great job and he does enjoy the support of the president. He further dismissed the idea that Barrs rebuke was unusual while decrying the alleged politicalization of the Justice Department.

Bash continued from there by noting that Trump continues to involve himself in criminal cases pertaining to his former associates, so she asked Short Why isnt the president listening to the attorney general? Short defended Trumps use of Twitter with the common refrain that its how the president communicates with the people, and then he pivoted to complain that the media never criticized Eric Holder for calling himself the wingman for former president Barack Obama.

Bash noted that Barr is the one criticizing the president for his tweets rather than the media, but Short continued to rail against the media, the Russia hoax, and CNNs hiring of former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe (who just had his investigation dropped). When Bash switched gears to ask why Barr is getting directly involved in the cases against Trumps associates, Short retorted that the AG is trying to correct the biased events that transpired in the DOJ.

The interview moved on from there with Bash grilling Short on how Trump could call Michael Bloomberg a total racist for his uncovered remarks about stop and frisk, even though the president supports the same policy.

Watch above, via CNN.

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CNNs Dana Bash Grills WH Adviser on Trump-Barr Dispute: Why Isnt the President Listening to the Attorney General? - Mediaite

WASHINGTON: I am spitting mad and want to lash out at our Department of Justice, or lack of justice, over their recent decision not to prosecute Andrew McCabe for his criminal actions. In fact, my anger goes deeper the DOJ, all the way to the White House. Donald J. Trump is not only the President of the United States, but he is also the chief judicial officer. He can and should be at the forefront of directing the DOJ, an executive branch, to fully enforce the laws of this land as well as his policies. (DOJ drops probe into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe)

Barack Hussein Obama was fully in control of his enforcement and prosecutorial branches, as is evidenced by Spygate.

One of the messages between FBI agent Peter Strozk and his paramour, FBI attorney Lisa Page, was explicit, stating that Obama wanted a full briefing on the ongoing attempts to undermine Donald Trump.

The Obama administration was also fully behind the prosecutions of white men and police officers involved in the shootings of black men, using hysterical rhetoric to try to show cause to do so. Most of those cases, like those in Sanford, Florida, where a Hispanic male, identified as white, killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense. Or Ferguson, Missouri, where a police officer killed Michael Brown in self-defense. Even in Baltimore, Maryland, where Freddie Gray died in Police custody, all resulting in failed prosecutions where Obamas DOJ, under racist Eric Holder, was heavily involved.

Yet, it shows the level of radical left-wing involvement in our judicial system that is considered acceptable, while cases like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn show a complete intolerance for conservatives.

In the meantime, President Trump is being meticulous in allowing our DOJ its total freedom for fear of being impeached again. That DOJ has been proven to be full of far-left swamp monsters. He must not allow the swampy elements within the DOJ to undermine his political agenda that we the people elected him to implement.

No justice, no peace, was a leftist slogan under Barry Obama that holds true today. But justice for all, not only the chosen ones, in this case, the leftist. There is more than ample proof of Hillarys crimes, destroying evidence after being subpoenaed by Congress, more than 33,000 emails, telephones, computer hard drives and so on.

Yet the leftist purveyor of anti-Americanism is free to continue to sow seeds of hatred, protected by the leftist within the DOJ. At the same time, Donald Trump faced impeachment charges when no laws were broken, brokered by the same swamp.

Conservatives go to jail and get enhanced sentences simply for being, or supporting, Republicans while Democrats can do no wrong. Antifa mercilessly attacks innocents and Trump supporters capriciously without being charged, while conservatives go to jail for defending themselves, as happened with two New York City Proud Boys.

There will be a breaking point unless justice is meted out fairly and evenly, and very, very soon. Once that point is reached, hell hath no fury like that which will be unleashed. And many Americans are near that point today.

Sean Hannity tried to protect the President on a recent radio broadcast over the miscarriage of justice of the DOJ freeing McCabe, saying just wait for the Durham indictments, then well see whose laughing. Hannity just putting lipstick on a pig. Those of us who love America have heard that old song and dance for the last 11 years.

The result is to first vote Republicans into office, stopping the Obama agenda in its tracks.

Our guns are increasingly at risk, our religion is under attack, even our race and sex is an issue. So we voted President Trump into the Oval Office charging him to dig us out of this unending spiral into progressive doom.

While the President has worked miracles with the economy, turned around unemployment, raised millions out of poverty, while rebuilding our military, he is failing in the most primal enterprise, that of justice.

If Americans cannot feel safe from unscrupulous leftwing courts attacking our basic constitutional rights, while allowing leftists to violate any law they wish to, without prosecution, we have a problem of monumental proportions.

There is a remedy within our Constitution, highlighted by the Second Amendment. But we really dont want to go there until all our options have been examined. But feeling helpless lessens those options drastically.

And right now many of us are feeling helpless.

Yes, Im mad as heck and am not going to take too much more abuse by my government. A government who is supposed to be, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

If the President and DOJ cannot deliver equal justice, what will come next is a whirlwind that no one wants to ride.

If John Durham has any indictments ready to issue, now is the time, before it is too late.

President Trump has to drain the swamp a whole lot faster before an implosion consumes our nation. We need to see that we are not being given lip service to something we hold dear, that of equal justice under the law for all: or else all Hades is going explode.

Because Im not the only one who is as mad as heck.

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DOJ on McCabe: I am mad as heck and don't know how much I can... - Communities Digital News