Facebook is shutting down its automatic face recognition feature for tagging people in photos and videos.
It is reported that the social media platform will delete more than one billion faces in its database. As a result, users will no longer be able to make use of the feature – the company says that they want people to go back to manual tagging.
Image credit: Business 2 Community
Facebook says its doing this because they need to “weigh the positive use cases for facial recognition against growing societal concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules”.
This comes after the Facebook Papers controversy that steeped the company in allegations of amplifying hate speech on their platforms. The company that owns Facebook also rebranded to Meta – a move that many regards as an attempt to shift the focus away from the exposé.
Image credit: Doug Chayaka via NBC
Up until now, Facebook has an algorithm that automatically recognises faces and prompt users to allow themselves to be tagged in media such as Memories, photos, and videos.
The new implementation will take place in the coming weeks, so you can expect better privacy while you use the app; but that doesn’t say much amidst the aforementioned allegations.