Facebook appears to be working on a facial recognition feature to allow users of its social network to better secure their accounts and access smart features.
Twitter user Matt Navarra posted a picture of what appears to be a feature for Facebook that wants its users to look into a smartphone camera or web cam to activate its facial recognition software for login in purposes and other tools.
NEW! Facebook working on a facial recognition feature to help secure your account
h/t Devesh Logendran pic.twitter.com/demol4dKj1
— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) September 29, 2017
“To recognise whether you’re in a photo or video our system compares it with your profile picture and photos and videos that yo’re tagged in. This lets us know when you’re in other photos and videos so we can create a better experience,” a blurb explaining Facebook’s facial recognition efforts said, captured via a screenshot by Navarra.
More photos of Facebook’s new Face Recognition feature setup
h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/dJkN3QGTIa
— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) October 1, 2017
The facial recognition feature appears to be in a closed test and potentially may have been inspired by Apple’s Face ID tech making its debut in the iPhone X, due for release in November.
Facebook has previously worked on a facial recognition system but had to suspend its efforts in Europe after Irish regulators found that it wasn’t inline with European Union data privacy laws.
While details of the new facial recognition tech are thin on the ground, Facebook may have created a system that complies with EU data rules, or alternatively the feature may have only been developed for use in the US, where data privacy rules are not quite as stringent.
If Facebook does indeed have a facial recognition system in the works, it will need to prove to its users that it’s going to use their information in a responsible way, akin to Apple, otherwise it could raise a bevy of concerns that the social network is eroding its users’ privacy without them realising it .
Related: What is Face ID?
Would you trust a Facebook facial recognition system to look after your privacy? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
