Company says adding profile photos to database will give users better control over personal information
 |
| Facebook's tag suggest technology currently identifies faces in newly uploaded photos by comparing them to previous snapshots. |
Facebook is considering incorporating most of its 1 billion-plus
members' profile photos into its growing facial recognition database,
expanding the scope of the social network's controversial technology.
The possible move, which Facebook revealed in an update to its data
use policy on Thursday, is intended to improve the performance of its
"tag suggest" feature. The feature uses facial recognition technology to
speed up the process of labelling or "tagging" friends and
acquaintances who appear in photos posted on the network.
The technology currently automatically identifies faces in newly
uploaded photos by comparing them only to previous snapshots in which
users were tagged. Facebook users can choose to remove tags identifying
them in photos posted by others on the site.
The changes would come at a time when Facebook and other internet
companies' privacy practices are under scrutiny, following the
revelations of a US government electronic surveillance program.
Facebook, Google and other companies have insisted that they have
never participated in any program giving the government direct access to
their computer servers and that they only provide information in
response to specific requests, after careful review and as required by
law.
Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan said that adding members'
public profile photos would give users better control over their
personal information, by making it easier to identify posted photos in
which they appear.
"Our goal is to facilitate tagging so that people know when there are photos of them on our service," Egan said.
She stressed that Facebook users uncomfortable with facial
recognition technology will still be able to opt out of the tag suggest
feature altogether, in which case the person's public profile photo
would not be included in the facial recognition database.
Facial recognition technology has been a sensitive issue for
technology companies, raising concerns among some privacy advocates and
government officials. Tag suggest, which the company introduced in 2011,
is not available in Europe due to concerns raised by regulators.
Google's social network, Google+,
also employs similar technology, but requires user consent. And it has
banned third-party software makers from using facial recognition
technology in apps designed for its Glass wearable computer.
Egan said Facebook was not currently using facial recognition technology for any other features, but that could change.
"Can I say that we will never use facial recognition technology for
any other purposes? Absolutely not," Egan said. But, she noted, "if we
decided to use it in different ways we will continue to provide people
transparency about that and we will continue to provide control".
SCROLL DOWN TO LEAVE A COMMENT
No comments:
Post a Comment