Seven Billion Reasons for Facebook to Abandon Its Face Recognition Plans

3 months ago

Meta is considering adding face recognition technology to its smart glasses.
The company may launch the product during a politically dynamic time to avoid scrutiny.
Face recognition technology violates privacy rights and poses risks like mass surveillance, data breaches, and discrimination.
Meta would need to collect faceprints from everyone in view of the glasses, making consent impossible.
State laws require strict protections and affirmative consent for biometric data collection.
Meta has a history of privacy violations, including a $7 billion settlement related to face recognition.
In 2021, Meta shut down its face-scanning tool and deleted over a billion face templates.
Meta settled a $5 billion FTC investigation in 2019 over deceptive face recognition settings.
In 2021, Meta paid $650 million to settle a class action under Illinois biometric privacy law.
In 2024, Meta agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement for violating Texas law with its face recognition system.
Privacy advocates and civil liberties groups will continue to resist Meta's invasive features.
Public backlash against invasive technology is growing, as seen with Amazon Ring and Mobile Fortify.

Hasty Briefsbeta