Facebook won’t be using facial recognition technology anymore, Meta Platforms Vice President of Artificial Intelligence Jerome Pesenti said in a blog post.
According to the post, “people who have opted in to our Face Recognition setting will no longer be automatically recognized in photos and videos, and we will delete the facial recognition template used to identify them.”
One-third of Facebook’s daily users opted into face recognition, the post stated. The change will consist of deleting over 1 billion templates for the program.
This all means Facebook won’t recognize when users’ faces appear in various photos or videos, according to the post. And users will no longer have the ability to turn it on for suggested photo tagging or see a tag of their name. The change will also affect the Automatic Alt Text tech, which makes image descriptions for the blind or visually impaired.
Meta still sees facial recognition is a powerful tool for verifying identities or stopping fraud and impersonation cases, the post stated. However, Pesenti noted that there are also “growing concerns” about the tech.
“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,” he said in the post.
Facebook announced last month that it would be adding more support for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) owned by women and minorities. This will be done through an expanded program to buy up outstanding invoices and give entrepreneurs instant access to funds.
Read more: Facebook Expands Invoice Fast Track Program to Allow SMBs to Get Paid Right Away
Facebook committed $100 million to its Invoice Fast Track program, which charges SMBs a small fee for cash advances.
Jason Trimiew, director of Global Supplier Diversity, said when diverse-owned businesses thrive, “we can all do a lot better.”
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