Social Media Facial Recognition Software Now Asks Permission

For years, we’ve been able to tag ourselves and others in photos, as Facebook’s facial recognition software was an automatic add-on to using the platform. Fast forward a few years, and you finally had the option of whether you wanted to be tagged in photos or not. Now, the scales have tilted against the social media behemoth, and as a user, you need to give Facebook permission to use the software on your images at all. This is a gamechanger for those who are increasingly concerned about their privacy, especially as safety concerns increase around the use of social media. How this fits in with their acquisition of Confirm.io, the government ID verification startup, remains to be seen. 

Under Pressure By Regulators  

After implementing a broader facial recognition setting in 2017, Facebook users finally had the option to see if their photos were anywhere else on the platform. Regulators, on the other hand, felt that Facebook violated the rights of their users, as the implementation of this setting was done without the express knowledge or consent of its users. Social media giants such as Facebook are now treading carefully, and users have to acknowledge and accept changes made to the permissions on their profile. 

Discretion Is Paramount On Social Media 

One of the most important factors when making any changes or updates to social media profiles is to ensure that the discretion of the user is maintained. According to Social Media Daily, 100% discretion is critical in order to ensure that all users on these platforms have a great experience, and have full control over the privacy of their information. With technology such as facial recognition, users can experience severe data loss if their information ends up in the wrong hands. 

The Wind Of Change 

The unauthorized access of information, including camera and microphone activity by social media apps in an effort to speed up their service, will no longer fly with Apple ahead of the release of iOS 13. While facial recognition will still be a feature on iOS 13, apps such as Facebook and Whatsapp will be restricted in terms of their usage of this technology on Apple smartphones, and access outside of the actual usage by the user will be prohibited. Apple wants to implement this by 2020. 

The constant innovation of new tech can cause the lines to blur a little in terms of user experience and keeping their rights intact. It’s up to regulators to keep social media giants within the regulatory requirements.