Facebook/Meta to Delete All Facial Recognition Software and Data

The Facebook turned Meta company has announced that they will be deleting their facial recognition software and the corresponding data collected from more than a billion users over the coming weeks.

The official statement read:

“This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage in the technology’s history. More than a third of Facebook’s daily active users have opted in to our Face Recognition setting and are able to be recognized, and its removal will result in the deletion of more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates.”

Faces will no longer be automatically recognized in photos and videos though users will maintain the ability to tag others manually.

The company acknowledges that it’s a highly beneficial feature for their visually impaired users, “But the many specific instances where facial recognition can be helpful need to be weighed against growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole.”

It cites growing concerns about facial recognition’s place in society and the lack of a clear set of rules to govern its use. It also states that a “narrow set of use cases is appropriate.”

These cases would be of a personal nature rather than public, like helping people gain access to a locked account, verifying their identity in financial products, or unlocking a personal device.

It assures that “while we will continue working on use cases like these, we will ensure people have transparency and control over whether they are automatically recognized.”

“For potential future applications of technologies like this, we’ll continue to be public about intended use, how people can have control over these systems and their personal data, and how we’re living up to our responsible innovation framework.”

Specifically, here’s what will happen:

  • “Faces will no longer be automatically recognized in Memories, photos, or videos.
  • Users will not be able to turn on facial recognition for suggested tagging, nor will the system suggest the tagging of pictures or video a user might appear in. Manual tagging will be suggested instead.
  • Automatic Alt Text (AAT) for the 4% of visually impaired or blind users will no longer automatically provide names of people in pictures using facial recognition but will otherwise continue to function normally.
  • The template used to identify those who’ve previously opted in to the Face Recognition setting will be deleted. Those who never opted in will see no change.”

The company has been in hot water since the release of the “Facebook Papers,” revealing that the company has been lackadaisical in keeping its users safe. Perhaps this move is to create trust amongst its users in an otherwise tumultuous climate.

“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. We will continue engaging in that conversation and working with the civil society groups and regulators who are leading this discussion.”

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