(Mirror Daily, United States) – Facebook is about to literally live up to its name as a new series of facial recognition algorithms can now track a person’s face across the platform even if that face was not tagged at least once.
The company says that the new tools will enable its users to have better control over their photos and protect them from catfishing efforts. Yet, privacy advocates are concerned that things could run out of control, and the tech could be used to detect Facebook users as they shop in brick-and-mortar stores.
The new facial recognition tech can be turned on from the account’s settings. After you do that, you’ll receive notifications every time somebody uploads images of you onto the platform. This will happen even if you don’t know that person as long as the uploader has included you in the audience group of those photos from his or her privacy settings.
The website will also notify you if someone used your face for their profile picture. This measure will dramatically reduce catfishing efforts and revenge porn attacks, with the attacker creating phony accounts to upload compromising photos of a former lover without their consent.
Facial Recognition Tech Could Run Amok
Privacy experts are concerned that by granting Facebook access to such an enormous database of faces, the company could amass too much power as a private entity. And Facebook hasn’t tried to address the concerns to date.
On the contrary: earlier this year, the company started asking selfies from users to prove that their accounts are theirs following reports of suspicious activity. What’s more, in Australia, the social media giants rolled out a program that can prevent revenge porn uploads as long as the victim sends the site the compromising pictures in advance.
Privacy experts argue that since Facebook is poised to beef up its facial recognition powers, it should also become more transparent about such decisions.
Image Source: Obama White House