Facebook
and
Instagram
are
testing
new
facial
recognition
tools
that
could
help
users
quickly
restore
compromised
accounts
and
combat
fake
celebrity-endorsed
scams.
Meta
announced
its
plan
to
roll
out
experimental
features
that
can
scan
a
user’s
face
to
verify
their
identity
by
comparing
it
against
profile
pictures
on
Facebook
and
Instagram.
The
first
usage
of
these
tools
aim
to
protect
both
celebrities
and
everyday
people
from
so-called
“celeb-bait”
ads
that
impersonate
notable
figures
to
trick
users
into
visiting
scam
websites.
Meta
currently
uses
automated
technology
like
machine
learning
to
detect
content
that
violates
its
policies
but
says
celeb-bait
can
be
difficult
to
distinguish
from
legitimate
ads.
“If
our
systems
suspect
that
an
ad
may
be
a
scam
that
contains
the
image
of
a
public
figure
at
risk
for
celeb-bait,
we
will
try
to
use
facial
recognition
technology
to
compare
faces
in
the
ad
to
the
public
figure’s
Facebook
and
Instagram
profile
pictures,”
Meta
said
in
its
announcement.
“If
we
confirm
a
match
and
determine
the
ad
is
a
scam,
we’ll
block
it.”
Celebrities
will
need
a
Facebook
or
Instagram
profile
to
use
the
new
facial
recognition
tools,
but
they’ve
shown
“promising
results”
for
detection
speed
and
efficacy
in
early
testing
with
a
small
group
of
public
figures,
according
to
Meta.
More
celebrities
who
have
been
impacted
by
celeb-bait
content
will
be
automatically
enrolled
in
the
coming
weeks,
and
will
have
the
option
to
opt-out
if
they
choose.
Meta’s
facial
recognition
tools
will
also
eventually
allow
Facebook
and
Instagram
users
to
regain
access
to
their
locked
accounts
by
submitting
a
video
selfie,
similar
to
authentication
systems
like
Apple’s
Face
ID.
It’s
not
clear
when
this
feature
will
be
available,
but
Nick
Clegg,
Meta’s
president
of
global
affairs,
says
it’s
“starting
small”
and
plans
to
“roll
out
these
protections
more
widely
in
the
months
ahead.”
Meta
says
that
uploaded
selfie
videos
will
be
encrypted
and
“stored
securely.”
The
company
also
says
that
facial
data
used
for
comparisons
is
immediately
deleted
and
isn’t
used
for
“any
other
purpose”
—
though
it’s
worth
noting
that
Meta
trains
its
AI
models
on
almost
everything
that’s
publicly
posted
to
its
platforms.
Meta
previously
integrated
facial
recognition
tech
into
Facebook
to
identify
and
tag
users
in
photographs
and
videos.
That
feature
was
discontinued
in
2021
after
a
lengthy
privacy
battle.
The
company
now
says
its
new
tools
have
been
vetted
for
security
and
privacy,
and
are
being
discussed
with
regulators
and
policymakers.
(Originally posted by Jess Weatherbed)
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