Facebook will automatically recognize users outside the EU in photos

Facebook will automatically recognize users who do not live in the EU or Canada in photos. Users can turn the option on or off. The company notifies users if they are in photos, whether they are tagged or not.

The feature uses the same technique Facebook uses to suggest who to tag, the company writes. The American company also comes with an on/off toggle in the settings to turn facial recognition on or off. That hasn’t been the case until now.

When the feature is on, users will be notified if they appear in a photo on Facebook, even if they are not tagged. Then users can indicate whether they themselves are in the photo or whether the software is next to it. In addition, the social network notifies you if someone else uses a profile picture, in which the software recognizes the user’s face. This should prevent the creation of fake profiles.

The feature will work worldwide, except in the EU and Canada. Facebook has not offered facial recognition in the EU for years, because it is difficult with European privacy rules. Google doesn’t do that either and has removed facial recognition from Photos for users in Europe.