Determining the sign of the B ---> S gamma amplitude

The latest Belle and BABAR measurements of the inclusive B̅ →Xsl+l- branching ratio have smaller errors and lower central values than the previous ones. We point out that these results indicate that the sign of the b→sγ amplitude is the same as in the standard model. This underscores the importance of B̅ →Xsl+l- in searches for new physics, and may be relevant for neutralino–dark matter analyses within the minimal supersymmetric standard model.