Meta has announced the reintroduction of facial recognition technology in its Facebook and Instagram apps, after more than three years of discontinuation. The aim is to combat fraud and assist users who have lost access to their accounts, according to Meta’s recent statement.
The company will start testing the technology to detect fraudulent ads that use images of celebrities and public figures. If the system detects a potentially fraudulent ad containing a familiar face, it will use facial recognition to compare the image in the ad with the profile picture of the public figure on Facebook or Instagram. If a match is confirmed and the ad is fraudulent, it will be banned.
The new feature is currently available to a limited number of celebrities and public figures, and Meta will gradually expand it in the coming weeks. Users can opt out of this protection if they wish. Meta also confirmed that this technology will be faster and more accurate than manual ad reviews.
Meta is also testing the use of facial recognition in account recovery, through a new option that allows users to upload a short video of themselves for comparison with their account photos when access is lost. This procedure will also be used in cases of suspected account breaches.
While this tool may not be effective for all users, especially for businesses that do not have personal photos, it will add a new layer of security against hacks.
Meta has assured that facial data will be deleted immediately after comparison, and the feature is optional.
