Ouster is a U.S. company on a mission to build a better future through the adoption of lidar technology, which has the potential to greatly benefit society. Lidar is a core contributor to advancements in artificial intelligence and autonomy that improve safety, quality of life, efficiency and sustainability.
We also recognize that lidar technology could be misused, particularly by state and government actors. We believe we have a responsibility to prevent this type of misuse, and we expect our employees to share in this responsibility.
As such, we are publishing this set of Engagement and Responsible Use Principles to help guide our work. These principles capture our commitment and decision-making to date to consider the holistic impact our products will have on communities, and convey our support for the protection of national security, civil liberties and human rights.
Ouster’s Engagement and Responsible Use Principles
We consider the holistic impact our products have on communities. We are committed to conducting business in a socially responsible and sustainable way in order to contribute to a better society. We continuously seek to maximize the positive impact of our products and to mitigate potential misuse.
We maintain a clear policy regarding the use of our products for military and security applications. We understand that nations have legitimate security interests that require the use of lidar technology. Security, however, must be balanced with other human rights, including the rights to life and liberty. In line with the U.S. State Department’s Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, we believe military use of AI and autonomy capabilities must be accountable via a responsible human chain of command and control. We intend to make lidar technology available only to the militaries of the United States and other free and fair nations whose interests align with the United States, provided that the applications do not (1) use our technology as the object detection, fire control and/or targeting technologies for weapons systems; and/or (2) violate laws, rules, regulations, treaties and conventions on combat and war.
We do not sell our products to adversaries of the United States or repressive regimes. We are aware that some governments use lidar technology for military applications adverse to the national security interests of the United States and for surveillance applications in violation of human rights. Our employees are required to conduct diligence with the goal that all direct recipients of our technology and their applications do not violate our policy. We will cease to supply customers, partners and resellers that violate our policy.
We engage in policy and regulatory efforts to support laws, policies, and standards aligned with our values. Integrity, transparency and nonpartisanship are core to our business philosophy. We partner with governments, civil society organizations and industry associations to advance laws and policies that promote the responsible and ethical use of lidar technology.
This Commitment does not in any way modify, amend or replace the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”), and in the event of any questions of interpretation, the Code will control.
