Time to check Face Recognition settings on Facebook
Facebook announced the global roll out of the Face Recognition setting for new users and existing users who had access to the tag suggestions feature today.
The company launched a feature called tag suggestions years ago that was enabled for a subset of Facebook users only. The feature determined whether face recognition technology was used by Facebook to identify users on uploaded photos. The feature limited suggestions to friends of the user who uploaded the feature. In other words: it only provided identification on the photo if it identified a contact of the user; strangers were not suggested by the tool.
Facebook introduced Face Recognition in December 2017 to some people on the site. Face Recognition can best be described as a broader facial recognition feature as it would not only apply to tag suggestions but also other features on Facebook.
Facebook rolls out information to users who previously had access to tag suggestions on the site and all new users. The company wants to inform users about the Face Recognition feature. Facebook users will see a notice in the News Feed starting today that "will include information about the new features", how Facebook uses the technology, and a button to turn the feature on or keep it off. The default status is off according to Facebook and users need to become active to turn it on.
If Face Recognition is off, Facebook won't use the feature to identify the user or to suggest tags. Additionally, features such as Photo Review which rely on the functionality will not be activated either. Facebook notes that people will still be able to tag friends manually.
Face Recognition turned on?
I did not receive a notification on Facebook and decided to verify whether Face Recognition was available and what the service's status was. Turns out, the feature was turned on for the account. While I cannot say with absolute certainty that I never enabled the feature, I cannot remember doing so.
Since you may be in the same boat, here is how you check the setting and turn it off if you don't want it used on Facebook:
- Load https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=facerec in the browser's address bar. Note that you may be asked to sign in to your Facebook account if you are not signed in.
- Alternatively, click on the menu icon, select Settings and there on the Settings page the Face Recognition option in the sidebar.
- If the page under 1) does not load or if you don't see the Face Recognition setting in the sidebar, the feature appears to be not available for your account at the time.
- Check the status of the feature if it is available. If it says Yes, Face Recognition is enabled.
- Click on the Edit button to modify the status.
- Just select No from the menu and then Close to change the status to no so that the feature is not used anymore. You may also enable it if it is disabled and you prefer it on.
Verify the status on the main page. If it is set to No, Face Recognition and features that depend on it are not enabled anymore.
Facebook says that its facial recognition tech is put to good use on the site. Besides the aforementioned identification of friends of photos, it may also be used to help visually impaired users and for security purposes on the site.
Now You: Do you allow or block facial recognition tech if the option is available?
Time to check Face Recognition settings on Facebook?
More like time to dump Facebook, twitter and the rest.
Of course the button to turn it on is blue and the one to “keep it off” is unfilled.
Data collection, going on the conspiracy side of things, it feels like a catalogue for young women and certain individuals to be selected for God only knows. The reason why facebook is eyeing cryptocurrency is to generate profits. We’re basically commodities to the conglomerates, ergo FB had sold user data and info to third parties
More concerned about Microsoft’s spying and telemetry – I can choose not to use facebook – I can’t not use Windows at the moment due to work.
Yet another reason I am so glad I broke myself of Facebook habit. Life does go on without it.
The fact that you had that setting enabled and were unaware of that fact says all you need to know. The only real surprise is that you still consider Facebook to be something you are willing to have enabled on your computer. I’m assuming it is not the computer where you maintain anything important. I deleted Facebook about two years ago and have not missed it in the slightest.
And you never use Google either.?
I think we are moving to a place where avoiding these tools – and there are plenty beyond these biggies who do the same kinds of things – will be a distinct disadvantage in life, despite the downsides.
It is healthy to be skeptical and wary, but many carry the cynicism too far. I think Martin strikes the right balance and is rather informative to boot.
@BM:
I’m not Herman Cost, obviously, but I’ll chime in anyway.
“And you never use Google either.?”
I don’t, with one exception: I do use YouTube — but even there, I only use it on a tablet that is dedicated solely to using YouTube.
“I think we are moving to a place where avoiding these tools – and there are plenty beyond these biggies who do the same kinds of things – will be a distinct disadvantage in life,”
I think that’s seriously overstating the situation. There is no serious disadvantage to avoiding these tools so far, and I don’t see that there will be in the near future.
There is a loss of convenience, of course — convenience is what these tools are offering. But something being less convenient does not amount to some sort of serious disadvantage.
Thank you Martin for bringing this to our attention!
The most revolutionary act anyone could take for the betterment of society is to delete their facebook accounts.
Thanks for the heads up. but I bet behind the scenes Facebook will do whatever they want regardless of what you choose in the settings, until they get caught. then they will pay a day of their profits as a fine and move on… The only solution is to stop using Facebook and block their domains in your firewall.
Gods, I wish this company would fucking die!
You took the words right out of my head. No doubt you’re using some as-yet-unreleased Facebook product.
Me too.
Apple and Google as well. The internet should be a little brighter if they all go bankrupt.
If you’d like to see them go bankrupt, you should tap in to the big tech censorship hiatus and track the unfolding events. Alternatives do pop up! From bitchute, gab, minds.com. Some keywords to get you started: Zachary Vorhies (a whistleblower and former Google employee), Tim Pool (independent journalist), Sargon of Akkad, #adpocalypse, Computing Forever. This should get you started. Share your findings (the ones YOU feel are most sensible) with your friends and family.