Facebook announced today that it will be closing face recognition System amid the uncertainty about a “clear set of rules for its use”.
The company said the move will delete “facial recognition templates” from over 1 billion people. The process is expected to be completed in December.
The social media giant said that over a third of the Facebooks Users had chosen to have the face recognition setting on their platform. The company has come under fire in recent years for privacy concerns and data leaks.
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“There are many concerns about the location of the facial Detection technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing clear rules for its use, “parent company Meta said, adding,” Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that the use of facial recognition should be limited to narrow use cases as appropriate is, “it added.
Watch: Whistleblower Frances Haugen condemns Facebook’s meta-rebranding
Vice President of Facebook Nick Clegg had said on Monday that the company had changed its policies since 2014 while acknowledging that “legitimate questions” had been raised about its work in “fragile” countries.
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Frances Haugen, 37, the former Facebook engineer had previously leaked data accusing the company of inciting hatred.
“It takes you to extremes and it hates fans,” Haugen told UK lawmakers. “Anger and to hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook … bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm and they find all ways to optimize Facebook, “said the Facebook whistleblower.
Haugen also accused the company of putting profits before security.
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“I think it’s unlikely that the company will change if [Mark Zuckerberg] remains CEO, “she said when she asked the Facebook founder to step down as a web summit.
Facebook had renamed itself last week and named the company Meta when it tried to focus on “Metaverse”.
(With contributions from agencies)
