What Every Parent Needs to Know

Facebook’s facial recognition technology is something you need to learn about today.  If your kids are among the 600 million Facebook members, there is a good chance that somewhere out there your children’s pictures are among the over 100 billion photos hosted by Facebook. Even though you might be monitoring your kids’ status updates, you need to also be aware of the new facial recognition technology now being used by Facebook with these billions of photos. Some see this new option as a valuable and time-saving tool, while others see it as another invasion of privacy and downright creepy. For parents it is definitely a time to reassess kids’ safety online — make sure you understand the facts and can help protect your children.

What is “tagging” in Facebook?

To understand this facial recognition software, you need to know what tagging is. Each time Facebook users upload pictures, technology allows them to “tag” other people who are also on Facebook. The rules are different for minors and adults, but the basic idea is that the maximum amount of people minors can share photos and posts with are the friends of their friends.

For example, your neighbor can upload a picture of your kids at the BBQ and click on the face of your son and “tag” him (if they are Facebook friends), which lets everyone who has access to viewing that photo online know who is in the picture. Or, if your neighbor is friends with a friend of your son, your son’s friend can tag your son in the neighbor’s picture and the neighbor can choose to “accept” the tag and keep it on the picture or not. Even if your neighbor has a private profile, your son and his friend could now see this photo once he has been tagged in it. Facebook users can “un-tag” themselves, but many, especially kids, don’t take the time to do this.

What is the new facial recognition technology?

Facebook recently contracted with Face.com to automate the tagging feature, using facial recognition software to suggest tags as Facebook users upload pictures. This technology will be automating the photo-tagging process, creating an enormous database of photos matched to names.

• One of the goals is to make tagging faster and easier. The software will suggest tags to users instead of having them go through each picture and scroll through a list of names.
• The more times a Facebook user has been tagged, the more accurate the facial recognition software becomes.
• Eventually the software will have enough photos in the database of your child to begin recognizing specific features of your child and could accurately match a face with a name.

What are the dangers of Facebook’s facial recognition technology?

You’ve probably talked with your kids about online safety, but maybe it feels much more challenging to know that inevitably people might be able to search for your children’s profile using just a picture.

• Not only will your children’s images be recognized, but that information can be combined with their likes, dislikes, and daily online routines to create a more complete digital picture.
• This software has been compared to a digital fingerprint, but is even more valuable as the uses of it can be much greater – think of all of the advertisers, audience-driven businesses, and more that would be interested in these identifying demographics.

How can I keep my kids safe from facial recognition software?

If there is a bright side to this technology implementation, it is that Facebook does allow users to opt out and turn off the facial recognition software.

• Go to Privacy Settings (under Home)
• Choose Profile and Tagging or Timeline and Tagging (different users have different settings here)
• Choose Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded?
• Select None
• Note: As the facial recognition software is being rolled out, not all Facebook users will have it as an option. Keep checking with your kids to see if it has become a default feature on their page.

Some who are extremely concerned with the implications of facial recognition software take the precautions another step and suggest that you and your kids upload random pictures of animals and other objects and tag them as your own faces, confusing the recognition software. Whatever steps you take with your kids, just make sure that all of you are aware of the risks and rewards with each.

AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Lisa Shaw Senior Director, Child Online Safety and Protection at SpectorSoft

What do five kids ranging in age from kindergarten to high school, a Harvard MBA and years of protecting kids online get you? It gets you Lisa Shaw, COO of her very busy household, and a Senior Director at SpectorSoft, the number one leader in monitoring and protecting your kids online. She's an expert on the technology and trends that you need to arm yourself with to be the best parent you can be in today’s digital world.

Tags: facebook facial recognition technology, facial recognition software, online safety, parenting teens