Facebook Facial Recognition feature investigated in Norway
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| endthelie.com |
The facial recognition technology
developed by Facebook has come under scrutiny ever since its inception in 2010.
Having added to this technology in June, through the buyout of Israeli site face.com, the facial recognition feature is set to become more comprehensive
and streamline the whole photo-tagging process.
The issue raised by the Norwegian
agency seems to centre on the feature which automatically suggests people’s
names to tag in photos. Bjorn Erik Thon, the Norwegian Data Protection Commissioner,
has noted that this is a “very powerful tool… and it’s not yet clear how it all really works”. He continues to show apprehensions towards the feature stating, “[the]
material Facebook has in its databases is something we need to discuss with
them”. The agency has already gone some way in addressing this by investigating
the way Facebook stores and analyses both private messages and users’ chats. The
facial recognition tool is a new exploration for the Norwegian agency into how its
citizens are being monitored by the social networking site. It is also expected
that the Irish and German regulators will publish reports on the facial
recognition feature to ensure it is in-line with EU law.
Countering these infringement claims,
Facebook has argued that it has clearly made the feature known to users and
that it can easily be opted out of. At a Senate hearing last month, chaired by
Senator Al Franken, it was suggested that Facebook should turn off the feature by default. Facebook manager of privacy and public policy, Rob Sherman, disputed
this by claiming that people are on Facebook to share and that it is an ‘opt-inexperience’. Should this possibility to withdraw consent ever be removed then
the facial recognition feature should follow suit. Facebook has also stressed
how the feature is on song with European Union law.
The improved facial recognition
feature does have certain advantages. iTechPost notes that the feature will be
useful in grouping similar photos together and for ‘when you have the same
friends in multiple posts’. David Manners has stated that the facial
recognition feature has the potential to be the ‘greatest-ever handset app’.
His reasoning being the fact that, it has ‘the ability to hold up a smartphone
camera to a face in the street, or a room, or a crowd, and have the device
recognise that face and give the biographical details associated with it’.
To an extent, the feature is useful
but does stress the possible laziness of some Facebook users. The last point
made by Manners is definitely a step too far however, and the Norwegian Data
Protection Agency would certainly have a problem with this. As well as
curtailing privacy it suggests that people could be under increased
surveillance. It is disconcerting enough
to have an individual’s face recognised but to also pull up biographical
information on that person is quite unnerving.
The decision taken by the Norwegian
Data Protection Agency should give us an indication into whether the feature
will get the green light. As for the
Senate’s earlier proposal to have the feature turned off as default, this seems
to be the most sensible and clear way forward for Facebook after this debacle.
Josh Bennett, Content Writer
@JoshAtSMF
Facebook Facial Recognition feature investigated in Norway
Reviewed by Mili and Paul
on
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Rating:
Reviewed by Mili and Paul
on
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Rating:
Mili and Paul
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