User’s faces will no longer be automatically recognized in Photos, Videos or Memories and users will not be able to turn this feature on again. Although Facebook is still encouraging users to manually tag their posts, the automated process will no longer be available. In addition, another feature of the name Automatic Alt Text Which was developed to create image description for visually impaired people, will no longer have the person’s name in the recognized photo.
Facebook has confirmed that the feature will be in the works in the coming weeks and says it needs to weigh positive use cases for facial recognition against growing social concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules. .
The company also cited that the ‘long-term role’ of facial recognition in our society “needs to be openly debated and between those who will be most affected by it”. Facebook also promised that it would “continue to engage in that conversation and work with the civil society groups and regulators who are leading this discussion”.
The move was taken by Facebook citing growing social concerns about using this technology, as the tech industry has faced criticism about ethics in previous years. While the vice president of Facebook’s artificial intelligence wing wrote in the company’s blog post, “Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use, amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that facial Identity’s use has been narrowed down to one. A narrow set of use cases is appropriate.”
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