Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook will shut down its facial recognition system amid growing concerns over the use of such technology

Facebook will shut down its facial recognition system amid growing concerns over the use of such technology

The technology automatically identifies users in pictures and videos but critics say it could compromise privacy.

Facebook's facial recognition system will be shut down and faceprints will be deleted for over a billion people, the social media giant has announced.

The technology automatically identifies users in pictures and videos but Facebook has decided to remove it, citing increased concerns about its use.

Jerome Pesenti, vice president of artificial intelligence at Facebook, wrote in a blog post: "This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage in the technology's history.

"There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use.

"Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate."

Mark Zuckerberg's company has decided to ditch its facial recognition system


Facebook has been under the microscope in recent weeks after leaked documents from whistleblower Frances Haugen showed it allegedly has known about the harms its products cause and often did little or nothing to mitigate them.

Ms Haugen, who worked at Facebook between 2018 and 2021, gave evidence in Westminster to MPs scrutinising the Online Safety Bill on 25 October, a month after the leaked documents were published by The Wall Street Journal.

Facial recognition is popular among businesses and hospitals for security purposes, but critics have said it could compromise privacy, target marginalised groups and normalise intrusive surveillance.

Facebook said more than a third of its users have opted into the face recognition setting on its social media platform, but the change will delete templates for more than one billion people.

The tech giant added that its automatic text tool, which generates image descriptions for visually impaired people, won't include the names of people recognised in images, but it will otherwise function normally.

The change will be rolled out globally and is set to be complete by the end of the year, a spokesperson said.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked documents which showed the firm allegedly knew about the harm its products cause


The technology will now be limited to certain services such as helping people gain access to their locked accounts or unlock a personal device, according to Facebook.

In 2019, Facebook stopped using the software to identify users' friends in uploaded pictures and automatically suggested they "tag" them, while San Francisco became the first US city to ban the use of the technology.

Facebook's decision follows the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and IBM, which last year ended or paused the sale of facial recognition software to police over concerns of false identifications.

This is the latest change at Facebook in recent days after it announced on 28 October it would be changing its company name to Meta.

The company has rebranded to focus on building technology for the "metaverse", which it sees as the next stage of the internet.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×