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Facebook Silently Enables Facial Recognition Abilities For Users Outside EU, Canada (neowin.net)
Facebook is now informing users around the world that it's rolling out facial recognition features. Users in the European Union and Canada will not be notified because laws restrict this type of activity in those areas. Neowin reports: With the new tools, you'll be able to find photos that you're in but haven't been tagged in; they'll help you protect yourself against strangers using your photo; and Facebook will be able to tell people with visual impairments who's in their photos and videos. By default, Facebook warns that this feature is enabled but can be switched off at any time; additionally, the firm says it may add new capabilities at any time. In its initial statement, Facebook said the following about the impersonation protections it was introducing: "We want people to feel confident when they post pictures of themselves on Facebook so we'll soon begin using face recognition technology to let people know when someone else uploads a photo of them as their profile picture. We're doing this to prevent people from impersonating others on Facebook."
How is telling you they're doing it and telling you how to turn it off 'silently enabling' it?
I got a clear message about this when I logged in
Fb has been using this tech for years
Facebook used to be a digital Rolodex of aggravating people you'd rather send an occasional birthday card than speak to in person, but in the last 7 years it's shaping up to become new societal piss-test for everything from dating to employment. Now you can look forward to not only being ostracized for your lack of facebook participation, but actively chastised for it when facebook identifies you as a friend/coworker/acquaintance in someone elses account.
with facebooks mandatory facial recognition it soon wont matter if you avoid the site at all, theyll just build and publish a profile of you anyway.
Good people go to bed earlier.
I am in the US. Message told me the feature was available. It was off by default. It told me how to enable it if I wanted it.
--- Liberty in our Lifetime
I'm in the US and have seen the Facebook notification about facial recognition. I have also checked in my preferences to verify that I'm making an accurate statement.
The feature is disabled by default. Users must opt in for facial recognition to be turned on.
I despise Facebook and find them incredibly creepy. However, if we're going to criticize them, let's get the facts straight.
I got the message yesterday.
It's ON and they say you can go to settings to turn it OFF.
they'll help you protect yourself against strangers using your photo
I don't like facial recognition. But I do like stopping people from using photos of me. It sure is nice of facebook...to offer to protect us...from facebook. All they need in return is a little more intrusion. Well played facebook. Well played. Even shifted the blame to other users.
Where they tried for decades to map the whole population, Facebook does it in a mere decade.
I am in the US. Message told me the feature was available. It was off by default. It told me how to enable it if I wanted it.
My wife and I saw this same message on facebook ("feature is available, off by default"). I just checked my facebook privacy settings, and it is indeed off. Interesting that some people are reporting it on by default though.
Make one mistake and it will follow you around forever. Welcome to the Internet, with folks who never forgive and never forget.
Liberals are so tolerant, except when they aren't.
Captcha::erasable
Facebook's 'explanation' makes it sound so innocuous, so user-friendly. But the truth is just the opposite. The exploitation and abuse potentials of this are not only already known and demanded by various authorities and marketing agencies, but are several magnitudes above and beyond whatever little utility this could ever have for the average person.
Outside of EU, Facebook looks at YOU!
This has been enabled for years in the U.S. More, typical CYA crap from Facebook, the world's favorite, hackable social media platform.
Here in Brazil the thing rolled out but off as default, much like it was reported in US.
I wonder what Facebook is taking in consideration to make it off or on by default.
I'd think that in EU it'd be the last place on Earth that Facebook would force something related to privacy erosion as on by default, but we'll see how that goes for them. If they end up sued, it's their own fault.
Is not silently if you are notified
but is still a tad creepy.
The only upside is being notified of photos were you are present but not tagged.
I choose to let it be for the time being.
Let's see how facebook deals with the fact that i lost 38Kilos in 2011 (84 pounds)
*** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
Hilarious how this is being spun as a benevolent policy to protect their users. I doubt profile picture impersonation is such a big deal, but if FB plants that seed of doubt it might convince people to opt-in "for their own good".
So happy to live in the EU.
-- Cheers!
Up yours fb
This has zero to do with protection - this is just another way to mine data about you, as if you were a Bitcoin... Look no further than going to your "General Account Settings" page. There I found that it no longer had my email address lableled as email address, but rather it is now labeled "Ad account contact", implying your email is now how they wrap up your info and sell it off.
Like that's meant anything to Facebook, which has more than once, changed the default settings to whatever is most profitable. Hell, with most EULAs and ToS reading as "we can fuck-over you, anytime, anyhow", no promise of privacy is binding. That is so because data privacy laws can only be applied to the data held in that country: Allowing an obvious loophole for all corporations.
...With the new tools, you'll be able to...
How is Facebook going to use this new capability? Will it offer money to stores to obtain real-time video feeds and find out who the customers are? Will it tap into local government security cameras to track people as they walk past a store?
... to help me to recognize the guy I see in the bathroom mirror every second Saturday morning.
They're not doing this to 'protect' anyone. They're doing it to facilitate their building of comprehensive profiles of all Facebook users.
Look, you live in a third world country if you're in the USA.
Adapt.
They are watching you. Everywhere.
And is it ok if I have that choco bar you forgot?
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
The actual law states citizens without regard to nationality or residence, which means EU citizens living in USA or on the North Pole. I keep seeing blogs and news articles talking about GDPR applying to EU "residents". Which isnot the case. Anyone else actually take the time to read the law that was published?