The online platform Facebook wants to largely abolish facial recognition. The US parent company Meta, which until recently was also called Facebook, justified the move with data protection concerns. "There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society," said the company. Regulators are still in the process of "establishing clear rules for their use".
In view of this "persistent uncertainty", it is appropriate to "limit facial recognition to a limited number of use cases". The data of more than a billion users required for the tool would also be deleted. However, it has not yet been determined when the change will take effect. Most recently, users had to give their express consent so that their names were automatically displayed in photos of their contacts. The setting of face recognition will also have a retroactive effect on this function, i.e. also on old photos, emphasized the group.
Group sees further possible uses for face recognition
According to Meta, since the system was introduced in 2010, more than a third of daily Facebook users "opted for our facial recognition setting". However, the company continues to see possible uses for the technology, for example when registering for an account or unlocking devices. Work will continue on this, with "due transparency" for users.
Facebook encountered resistance from data protectionists, especially in Europe, against the facial recognition software. In addition, the group is currently in a crisis of credibility. Critics accuse him of not taking sufficient action against the spread of hate speech or bullying, of violating the privacy of users and of being involved in the spread of false information. In addition, Facebook ignores the fact that the way it works is harmful to the well-being of young users.
Most recently, statements by the whistleblower and former Facebook employee Frances Haugen caused a stir. Haugen accuses her former employer of putting its own profits above the safety of its users and the common good. The group knows of the grievances, but ignores them because it is not in its profit interests to take action against them. According to Haugen, another former employee also made similar allegations. Meta and founder Mark Zuckerberg reject the allegations.
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