Facebook has announced that it will no longer use the Facial recognition for photos and videos on the platform. The decision comes for the “growing concerns about use”Of this technology, which the company also considers an interesting tool.
Facebook stops facial recognition on the social platform
Meta (the new name of the company that manages Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) has announced the decision to stop the facial recognition program on the platform. A decision made because of the concerns expressed by public opinion. But also because, according to the company, the authorities are not clear in imposing rules and limits on the use of this technology, which is potentially harmful to people’s privacy.
The company is also committed to remove accumulated “facial imprints” analyzing the photographs on the platform so far, an operation that has involved over a billion recognized faces. “More than a third of daily active users have opted for our facial recognition and now its removal will result in the deletion of more than a billion” faceprints. ” A huge archive of faces, which the company now undertakes to cancel.
The decision, however, does not mature only from media attention. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission had issued a fine from five billion dollars to the Zuckerberg company. And one of the reasons was the doubts about applying facial recognition. Last year the company negotiated for 650 million dollars a class action lawsuit in Illinois. The charge was that he did not adequately request access to residents’ biometric information.
Politics comments on the decision also in Italy, with the deputy PD Filippo Sensi who says: “One of Meta’s first moves is to distance himself from the use of facial recognition. We want to see ourselves well inside. But the signal is important. The Italian Parliament and the government have the tools to intervene to protect the privacy of citizens. There are no more excuses ”.