Facebook reintroduces facial recognition to tackle celebrity scams ads

Meta is set to reintroduce facial recognition technology on Facebook, three years after shutting it down over privacy concerns, in a bid to tackle the growing issue of “celeb bait” scams.

These scams involve the unauthorized use of public figures’ images in fake advertisements, deceiving users into investing in fraudulent schemes.

Starting in December, Meta will begin testing the software by comparing Facebook profile photos of 50,000 celebrities with images used in suspected scam ads. If a match is detected and the ad is identified as fraudulent, Meta will block it.

Celebrities involved in the trial will be notified of their participation and will have the option to opt-out.

However, the trial will exclude key regions like Britain, the European Union, South Korea, and U.S. states such as Texas and Illinois, where regulatory approval for the use of facial recognition technology is lacking. Meta plans to expand the trial globally but will continue to navigate privacy and regulatory hurdles in these regions.

Monika Bickert, Meta’s Vice President of Content Policy, emphasized that the initiative is aimed at protecting public figures whose images are often exploited in scam ads.

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“Our goal is to offer as much protection as possible to celebrities, and we’ve made opting out easy if they choose not to participate,” she explained during a briefing.

To address privacy concerns, Meta has assured that any facial data generated during the trial will be deleted immediately after being used to check for scam ads, regardless of the outcome.

The company noted that the tool has undergone thorough internal privacy assessments and consultations with regulators, policymakers, and privacy experts.

Meta’s reintroduction of facial recognition comes after it halted the technology in 2021 and deleted face scan data of over one billion users, citing concerns over the misuse of biometric data.

The move to revive it also follows a $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas in August, resolving allegations of illegal biometric data collection.

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Additionally, Meta has faced multiple lawsuits accusing the company of failing to do enough to prevent celeb bait scams.

Beyond celebrity scams, Meta is exploring the potential for using facial recognition to help everyday users recover Facebook or Instagram accounts that have been hacked or locked due to forgotten passwords.

This step marks a shift in Meta’s approach to facial recognition, balancing its desire to combat scams with the need to address ongoing privacy concerns.

As the company reintroduces the technology, it continues to face scrutiny over its handling of biometric data, raising questions about its long-term plans in a landscape where privacy regulations are rapidly evolving.