News > Social Media Facebook Pulls the Plug on Facial Recognition Software The problematic technology is off the platform By Allison Murray Allison Murray Twitter Tech News Reporter Southern Illinois University Allison reports on all things tech. She's a news junky that keeps her eye on the latest trends. Allison is a writer working out of Chicago, IL, with her only coworker: her cat Norbert. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on November 2, 2021 02:58PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming After years of backlash and even a few lawsuits, Facebook finally shut down its facial recognition system. Facebook made the announcement on Tuesday, saying it will completely shut down the technology in the coming weeks. The change means you no longer will be automatically tagged in photos or videos, and you'll have to enter your or others' names manually. Getty Images/John Lund The social network also noted the change will impact Automatic Alt Text, which helps create image descriptions for people who are blind and visually impaired. The function only will change by no longer including the names of people automatically recognized in photos, and still will be able to recognize how many people are in a photo. Facebook said it will delete the individual facial recognition templates of more than a billion users who had opted into the system. However, the company said it plans to enlist the help of outside experts to help it look into using facial recognition technology for specific use cases in the future. "There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use. Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate," Jerome Pesenti, Facebook's vice president of artificial intelligence, wrote in the announcement. In particular, Facebook said facial recognition uses on the platform could include people using their face to gain access to a locked account or to verify their identity in financial products. The change comes less than a week after Facebook rebranded itself to Meta, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg said signals the company's plans to prioritize the metaverse, allowing users to share immersive experiences with each other. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit