People who use this option can no longer be recognized automatically in photos and videos. This change will also affect the tool Automatic Alt Text (AAT), which serves to create image descriptions for blind and visually impaired persons.
More Than a Third of Daily Facebook Users Will Be Affected
According to Facebook, this change is one of the most significant shifts in the use of facial recognition in the technology’s history, as more than a third of network users have opted in on this feature. The service termination will result in more than a billion facial recognition templates being deleted.
Facebook Will Continue Developing Face Recognition Technology, but for Different Purposes
The company will keep developing its facial recognition technology, as there are areas where it’s found to be useful, especially in identity verification, identity theft protection, and fraud prevention.
The Automatic Alt Text system, which was relied on by people with impaired vision, will also undergo some changes. For example, the AI-generated image description will not include the names of the people in the photos.
The Reasons Behind This Change Are the Growing Public Concern and Lack of Precise Regulation
Jerome Pesenti, VP of Artificial Intelligence at Facebook concluded the blog article with the statement that facial recognition has benefits and drawbacks, and the company is carefully weighing them.
In order to provide the best user experience and complete transparency, the company will work with the civil society groups and regulators who are leading the discussion about new technologies.
With the new transparency policy, Facebook is trying to battle the consequences of the latest scandals that shook its core and maintain its position as the leading social network in 90% of the world’s countries.
