Facebook offers EU users face recognition option in privacy menu
Facebook has shown a new privacy menu that it wants to serve to users this week. In it they have to make different choices and they have the option to enable facial recognition, which until now was not available.
Facebook had already announced facial recognition in the EU and Canada, but did not give a precise time. In the current announcement it writes that it has offered the optional function for six years in the rest of the world, but now it is the EU and Canada’s turn. Facebook claims that the feature protects privacy by alerting users when someone else uses their photos. In addition, the function can do tag suggestions for images of people. Facebook had to switch off the introducedfunction in 2011 shortly , afterwards in the EU after pressure from regulators. An American class action directed against Facebook on facial recognition could continue this week .
The social media company says it’s the changes in the context of the General Data Protection Regulation, or AVG. In addition to the Face Recognition option, users will see options for adapting preferences for ads based on data from Facebook partners and sharing data as political beliefs and beliefs.
The images that the company publishes can be seen that it uses the familiar blue buttons with ‘accept and continue’ with next to it a gray button to adjust the settings. Users must also agree to the new conditions. TechCrunch describes that under the accept button is a small gray link with ‘show my options’, where users can delete their account. No mention is made of the possibility to temporarily deactivate Facebook.
In the announcement Facebook writes further that people outside the EU also see these options, although this happens later than May 25, the day on which the AVG takes effect. It states that ‘there is no difference worldwide regarding the protection and control mechanisms’. First it appeared that the company would not introduce the measures to comply with the new European privacy legislation outside the EU. The previously announced privacy tools will also appear on Facebook this week. Despite the measures, users will not be able to use the platform without any form of targeted advertising, said Facebook cpo Rob Sherman in a meeting for journalists according to Reuters .
Furthermore, the company says that minors can not use face recognition and that young people between the ages of 13 and 15 get to see a less personalized version of the site in certain EU countries. The current announcement follows a blog post about the collection of data from users who are not logged in on Facebook. This is done via like buttons, Facebook Login, analytics and advertisements.
The social media company says it’s the changes in the context of the General Data Protection Regulation, or AVG. In addition to the Face Recognition option, users will see options for adapting preferences for ads based on data from Facebook partners and sharing data as political beliefs and beliefs.
The images that the company publishes can be seen that it uses the familiar blue buttons with ‘accept and continue’ with next to it a gray button to adjust the settings. Users must also agree to the new conditions. TechCrunch describes that under the accept button is a small gray link with ‘show my options’, where users can delete their account. No mention is made of the possibility to temporarily deactivate Facebook.
In the announcement Facebook writes further that people outside the EU also see these options, although this happens later than May 25, the day on which the AVG takes effect. It states that ‘there is no difference worldwide regarding the protection and control mechanisms’. First it appeared that the company would not introduce the measures to comply with the new European privacy legislation outside the EU. The previously announced privacy tools will also appear on Facebook this week. Despite the measures, users will not be able to use the platform without any form of targeted advertising, said Facebook cpo Rob Sherman in a meeting for journalists according to Reuters .
Furthermore, the company says that minors can not use face recognition and that young people between the ages of 13 and 15 get to see a less personalized version of the site in certain EU countries. The current announcement follows a blog post about the collection of data from users who are not logged in on Facebook. This is done via like buttons, Facebook Login, analytics and advertisements.