Facebook to end Facial Recognition, to delete data of a billion users

Facebook has said it will shut down its face-recognition system and delete the faceprints of more than 1 billion people.. The company said in a blog post that more than a third of Facebook’s daily active users, or over 600 million accounts, had opted into the use of the face recognition technology.

“This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage in the technology's history,” the social networking giant said.

The shift comes as the company assess the positive use cases for the technology “against growing societal concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules.”

Big tech giants are facing increasing resistance against artificial intelligence-based facial recognition.Amazon, Microsoft and Google have also been sued for their use of facial recognition software. Facebook's use of the technology had led to a legal settlement that cost the company $650 million in 2020. In that case, Facebook was accused of illegally collecting biometric data about users without their consent.

Facebook that is reinventing itself as Meta will require support in from regulators, industry peers and potential users for its shift in the augmented reality world. Experts say moves such may reduce the intense scrutiny from regulators and privacy advocates, who say the company has been reckless with user data.