Facebook uses facial recognition for users
Source: Agencies |
June 9, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FACEBOOK has quietly expanded the availability of technology to automatically identify people in photos, renewing concerns about the privacy practices of the world's top social networking service.
The feature, which Facebook automatically enabled for Facebook users, has been expanded from the United States to "most countries," Facebook said on its official blog on Tuesday.
Its "Tag Suggestions" feature uses facial recognition technology to speed up the process of labeling friends and acquaintances that appear in photos posted on Facebook.
The company's rollout of the technology has raised eyebrows in some circles. Internet security consultant firm Sophos published a post on its company blog, saying that many Facebook users are reporting that the site has enabled the facial recognition option in the last few days without giving users any notice.
"Yet again, it feels like Facebook is eroding the online privacy of its users by stealth," wrote Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.
Facebook, which said in December that it planned to introduce the service in the US, acknowledged on Tuesday that the feature was in fact now more widely available.
When asked about the Sophos blog post, Facebook said in an e-mailed statement that "we should have been more clear with people during the rollout process when this became available to them."
The statement noted that the photo-tagging suggestions are only made when new photos are added to Facebook.
The feature, which Facebook automatically enabled for Facebook users, has been expanded from the United States to "most countries," Facebook said on its official blog on Tuesday.
Its "Tag Suggestions" feature uses facial recognition technology to speed up the process of labeling friends and acquaintances that appear in photos posted on Facebook.
The company's rollout of the technology has raised eyebrows in some circles. Internet security consultant firm Sophos published a post on its company blog, saying that many Facebook users are reporting that the site has enabled the facial recognition option in the last few days without giving users any notice.
"Yet again, it feels like Facebook is eroding the online privacy of its users by stealth," wrote Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.
Facebook, which said in December that it planned to introduce the service in the US, acknowledged on Tuesday that the feature was in fact now more widely available.
When asked about the Sophos blog post, Facebook said in an e-mailed statement that "we should have been more clear with people during the rollout process when this became available to them."
The statement noted that the photo-tagging suggestions are only made when new photos are added to Facebook.
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