Know the creepy feeling when Facebook automatically tags people in a photo, and accurately so? Well, that's about to change.
Facebook users will have more control over the ways the site uses facial recognition to analyze their photos.
In a press release, the company's artificial intelligence research lead Srinivas Narayanan detailed a new expanded setting in which users have the capability to toggling face recognition on or off for a wider array of uses, though Facebook did not identify which ones. Previously, Facebook only allowed users to enable or disable whether the site used facial recognition software to give tag suggestions on photos.
Tag Suggestions Gone
So what does this change mean? Well, Narayanan said the setting provides an easy on or off switch for a "broader set of uses of face recognition," including helping users safeguard their identity on the site.
According to Facebook's help section, turning off face recognition means deleting one's "face recognition template" from the site, which the company uses to track a face across the platform.
"We won't use face recognition to suggest that people tag you in photos," it states. "This means that you'll still be able to be tagged in photos, but we won't suggest tags based on a face recognition template."
The changes go into effect immediately for all Facebook users around the globe, and they'll apply to new users as well. People who haven't opted out of tag suggestions will receive a notification in their News Feed announcing the new expanded setting. Moving forward, tag suggestions will no longer be available.
FTC Privacy Fine
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion for deceptive privacy practices, including turning on tag suggestions by default for new users even when suggesting Facebook's facial recognition was opt-in.
This time, the default mode of the new setting is legitimately opt-in, says the post.
"If you do nothing, face recognition will remain off for you."
Ultimately, Facebook was ordered to adhere to several new measures regarding its face recognition technology, including educating users on how it works and obtaining consent of user data is used for reasons beyond what Facebook had originally outlined.
This new approach could be a welcome change for people concerned about Facebook's shoddy face recognition practices. But as Engadget notes, it may be a little too late. The company recently lost its bid to block a lawsuit alleging that it obtained millions of users' face data for its tag suggestions feature without first gaining consent.
