Facebook Will Shut Down Its Face Recognition System And Delete The Data

One of the features of Facebook is facial recognition, where the platform can identify faces in photographs so that it makes it easier for users to tag other users in pictures. However, some might have been uncomfortable with such a system, especially with Facebook not having the best privacy track record in recent years.

For those who have been uncomfortable with the facial recognition system, you’ll be happy to learn that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has announced that they will be doing away with the system for good, and that all associated facial recognition data will also be deleted in the process.

According to Meta, “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.”

The company still believes in the potential and benefits of facial recognition, but it seems that until the “right balance” has been found, the company will no longer be using it in Facebook. “Every new technology brings with it potential for both benefit and concern, and we want to find the right balance. In the case of facial recognition, its long-term role in society needs to be debated in the open, and among those who will be most impacted by it.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Facebook, Privacy