Facial Recognition Marches Forward, No Matter What Facebook Says

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. said on Nov. 2 it was shuttering the facial recognition system it used to automatically identify people in images posted to its social network. The company is working to repair a public image crisis—there’s a reason it’s not called Facebook anymore—and facial recognition has become an increasingly toxic concept in many circles.

Meta’s action comes after retrenchments last year by Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc., which each recently restricted the use of their facial recognition by law enforcement agencies. About 20 U.S. cities have passed legislation limiting use of the technology in various ways. But privacy advocates are calling for further restrictions on the technology, which they say is ripe for abuse by private companies as well as governments. Even some applications that seem innocuous or convenient could end up being problematic, according to critics.