Biometrics: Facebook quietly switches on facial recognition tech by default

06-07-2011 • theregister.co.uk

Facebook has rolled out its facial recognition technology to countries outside of the US, but has switched the feature on by default without telling its users first. UK-based security expert Graham Cluely noted earlier today that Facebook had slotted the tech into the social network. The Mark Zuckerberg-run company started using its facial recognition software in December last year for its Stateside users in a move to automatically provide tags for the photos uploaded by Facebook users. The tech works by scanning newly uploaded pics and then identifies faces from previously tagged photos already stored in Zuckerberg's internet silo. When the software was introduced in the US late last year, Facebook pointed out that users could disable the function. "If for any reason you don't want your name to be suggested, you will be able to disable suggested tags in your Privacy Settings," the company wrote on its blog post last December. But now that the tech has reached other shores, Facebook clearly didn't feel the need to alert its international stalkerbase that its facial recognition software had been switched on by default within the social network. The "Suggest photos of me to friends" feature in question is located in the company's privacy settings. Facebookers need to click on "customise settings" before being able to access the function and disable it, if they so wish. "Unfortunately, once again, Facebook seems to be sharing personal information by default.

1 Comments in Response to Biometrics: Facebook quietly switches on facial recognition tech by default

Comment by TL Winslow

Entered on: 6/8/2011 8:03:36 AM

Didnt' I tell ya?

16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The Mark of the Beast: ZuckerBeast!

Flee the ZuckerBeast now or it might be too late! More reasons:

http://boycottfacebookblog.blogspot.com/

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