Meta reintroduces facial recognition to tackle Facebook scams

Social media platform, Meta, owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has hinted of moves to reintroduce its facial recognition software on Facebook to tackle the rising cases of celebrity scams also known as “celeb bait” scams, where scammers use images of public figures in fake ads to deceive users.

Recall that about three years ago, the software was shut down.

Meta said the trial of the software, which will start in December, will automatically compare the Facebook profile photos of about 50,000 public figures with images used in suspected scam advertisements.

If Meta detects a match and identifies the ad as a scam, it will block it. Celebrities involved in the trial will be notified of their enrollment and can opt-out if they choose.

The American firm said it planned to roll out the trial globally but will exclude some major regions such as Britain, the European Union, South Korea, and U.S. states like Texas and Illinois, where Meta lacks regulatory clearance to use facial recognition technology.

Meta’s Vice President of Content Policy, Monika Bickert, explained that the trial aims to protect public figures whose images have been frequently used in scam advertisements.

With target on privacy and data protection measures, Meta said that any facial data generated during the trial will be immediately deleted after being compared with images in suspected scam ads, regardless of whether a scam was detected.

The company emphasised that the tool has undergone rigorous internal privacy and risk assessments, as well as consultations with regulators, policymakers, and privacy experts.

In addition to the celeb bait scam initiative, Meta is also considering expanding the use of facial recognition technology for non-celebrities.

The technology firm plans to test using facial recognition data to help regular Facebook and Instagram users regain access to accounts that have been hacked or locked due to forgotten passwords.