Introduction
Meta is reintroducing facial recognition technology to Facebook and Instagram, three years after shutting down its previous system. The company announced that this time, the technology will be used to combat fraud and assist with account recovery, aiming to enhance user security. With a renewed focus on user safety, Meta is leveraging advanced facial recognition to address persistent challenges while ensuring transparency and privacy.
Tackling Fraud with Facial Recognition
Meta’s initial rollout will focus on identifying fraudulent advertisements that misuse the faces of celebrities and other prominent figures. The company’s blog explained, “Our systems will detect when an ad contains a celebrity’s face and compare it with the celebrity’s profile pictures on Facebook and Instagram using facial recognition technology. If a match and potential fraud are identified, the ad will be blocked.”
Currently, this feature is available to a small group of celebrities and public figures, with plans to automatically extend protection to more individuals in the coming weeks. However, users will have the option to opt out of this protection. Meta’s Vice President of Content Policy, Monika Bickert, emphasized the difficulty of spotting “celeb-bait” scams, as many legitimate companies also use celebrities in their advertising. She highlighted that the new facial recognition feature will streamline this process and deliver more accurate results.
Streamlining Account Recovery with Video Selfies
Meta is also testing facial recognition tools to address account recovery issues on Facebook and Instagram. This feature includes a “video selfie” option where users can upload a short video of themselves. The system then matches the video to their profile pictures to verify their identity. Additionally, this tool will help prevent unauthorized access to accounts in cases of suspected hacking attempts using stolen credentials.
While this tool may not resolve access issues for all users, particularly businesses that do not have profile pictures, Meta’s existing account recovery options will remain available for such cases. Bickert noted that the new process aims to make it harder for malicious actors to exploit Meta’s support tools.
Meta has assured users that it will only use facial data for comparison purposes and will delete it immediately after the verification process is complete. These features are optional, and while the system automatically protects celebrities from fraudulent ads, they have the option to disable this protection.
Legal and Privacy Concerns Surrounding Facial Recognition
Meta’s return to facial recognition technology is significant, considering its history with legal challenges and privacy issues. In 2021, the company discontinued its automatic photo tagging feature and deleted over one billion users’ facial data. This decision followed lawsuits in states like Illinois and Texas, where Meta paid $650 million and $1.4 billion in settlements, respectively, for violating privacy laws.
These new features will initially be unavailable in Illinois and Texas due to regulatory concerns. They also won’t be introduced in the United Kingdom or the European Union at launch. Meta has stated that discussions with regulators in these regions are ongoing, with plans to deploy the technology globally by 2025.
Conclusion
Meta’s reintroduction of facial recognition technology highlights its commitment to enhancing user security and addressing long-standing issues such as fraud and account recovery. However, its deployment raises questions about privacy and regulatory compliance, especially given Meta’s legal history. As the company navigates these challenges, users can expect continued developments in security features that aim to strike a balance between innovation and privacy.
$2 Meta is reintroducing facial recognition technology to Facebook and Instagram to enhance security, prevent fraud, and simplify account recovery while addressing privacy concerns. Learn more!