Facebook Considers Adding 1 Billion Members to Facial Recognition Database: ReportMadison Ruppert Though theyve considered this move in the past, the process was delayed by a significant amount of outcry from European legislators. That hasnt stopped them from developing the technology, evidenced by their acquisition of Israeli facial recognition company Face.com last year. Facebook revealed the possible action in an update to their data use policy on Thursday, Reuters reports, something which they claim is aimed at improving the performance of their Tag Suggest feature. Tag Suggest uses facial recognition technology to make the process of tagging people in photos posted to Facebook faster and easier. Many privacy advocates voiced concerns about the capability when it was first announced in 2011. Currently, Facebook automatically identifies faces in someones new photos uploaded to the site by comparing them to previous pictures the users were tagged in. As Reuters interestingly points out, The changes would come at a time when Facebook and other Internet companies privacy practices are under scrutiny, following the revelations of a U.S. government electronic surveillance program. Indeed, reports revealed that internet giants like Google and Facebook worked directly with the government on the PRISM program, though they issued cleverly worded denials after the reports were published. The obvious implication is that this type of information could be used by the government, which would hardly be surprising given the amount of money spent on facial recognition programs. Our goal is to facilitate tagging so that people know when there are photos of them on our service, Egan said. Interestingly, Egan could not deny that the facial recognition technology could be used for other features. Can I say that we will never use facial recognition technology for any other purposes? Absolutely not, Egan said. However, she said that Facebook users who are uncomfortable with the idea of their profile pictures being used in a giant facial recognition database will still have the ability to opt-out of the Tag Suggest feature. The entire feature is not available in Europe due to concerns raised by regulators there, Reuters reports. While Egan could not say if facial recognition will be used for anything other than Tag Suggest, she claimed if we decided to use it in different ways we will continue to provide people transparency about that and we will continue to provide control. Facebook also changed the language contained in its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities in order to indicate that users under 18 have indicated that their parent or legal guardian has given Facebook permission to let marketers use some of their personal data in ads. Its unclear what constitutes some, International Business Times reports. Id love to hear your opinion, take a look at your story tips and even your original writing if you would like to get it published. I am also available for interviews on radio, television or any other format. Please email me at Admin@EndtheLie.com Please support our work and help us start to pay contributors by doing your shopping through our Amazon link or check out some must-have products at our store. This article first appeared at End the Lie. Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis databaseEnd The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on UCYTV Monday nights 7 PM 9 PM PT/10 PM 12 AM ET. Show page link here: http://UCY.TV/EndtheLie. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com 