Facebook Shuts Down Use of Facial Recognition Software

On Tuesday, Facebook, now rebranded as Meta, announced that it would be shutting down its facial recognition program. The program has over one million individual facial recognition templates that it plans to delete.

In a statement released by Meta, the brand explains that societal concerns and uncertainty about regulation are the reasons behind ending the program.

“There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use. Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate,” Meta explains. “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.”

According to the social media giant, over one-third of active users or roughly 600 million accounts have opted into the facial recognition program. This remarkable move to end the program comes after its facial recognition software has been the subject of controversy with both regulators and lawsuits. Earlier this year, the company settled a class-action suit that accused Facebook of collecting users’ biometrics without asking for their permission first. Facebook was ordered to pay $650 million as part of the lawsuit. The suit also required Facebook to change the rules so that users had to opt-in instead of opt-out when it came to its facial recognition program.

The facial recognition software was also brought up in a 2019 data privacy breach where Facebook paid a whopping $5 billion to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle violations. According to the FTC, Facebook violated their user’s privacy by deceiving the platform’s users into thinking they had control over their personal information on the platform. Facebook was also ordered to submit to a modified corporate structure that holds the social media platform accountable and was required to adhere to new restrictions. The $5 billion violation was the largest sum ever imposed on any company for violating consumer privacy laws.

Meta emphasizes the power that their facial recognition program has and details its potential use in the future. “Looking ahead, we still see facial recognition technology as a powerful tool, for example, for people needing to verify their identity or to prevent fraud and impersonation. We believe facial recognition can help for products like these with privacy, transparency, and control in place, so you decide if and how your face is used. We will continue working on these technologies and engaging outside experts.”

Facebook plans to begin deleting the facial recognition templates this month with all templates being deleted by December.