Facebook to shut facial recognition system and delete 1bn 'faceprints'

Facebook will delete the "faceprints" of more than a billion people after announcing that it is shutting down its facial recognition system due to the "many concerns" about using the technology. The social media network has been under political, legal and regulatory pressure over its use of the software, which automatically identifies users in photos and videos if they have opted in to the feature. In a statement, Facebook's parent company, Meta, said it would shut down facial recognition on the platform over the coming weeks and delete 1 billion facial recognition templates. Meta's vice-president of artificial intelligence, Jerome Pesenti, said the technology had helped visually impaired and blind users identify their friends in images and can help prevent fraud and impersonation. But Pesenti said the advantages needed to be weighed against "growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole".