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Facebook faces up to new privacy row
Facebook is at the centre of a privacy storm over its use of facial recognition technology. The social networking website, which has over 750 million active users, was criticised by privacy groups last week after a senior German data protection commissioner described it as probably the worlds largest database of biometric characteristics of individuals. Launched in June, the recognition tool allows users and their friends to be identified on photographs that appear on the website. It is possible to opt out from the feature, but Facebook is still able to collect and indefinitely store all photos that users upload. a mobile phone could use biometrics to compare the pictures and make an identification.

LOCAL FEATURE

German concern
UK-based campaign group Privacy International has repeatedly criticised Facebooks privacy policy, and shares the Germans concerns. Alex Hanff, campaigns adviser for the group, believes the facial recognition software functions in ways that are not necessarily appropriate for a democratic and free society. He said: For example, access to all those features to third parties is a critical concern, because it has a direct impact on peoples personal safety. The blanket policy of sharing everything that Facebook seems to keep reverting back to, despite numerous attempts by regulators and advocacy groups such as ourselves to rein them in a little bit, is becoming a real problem for us. One recent scientific study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US, concluded that widespread use of facial recognition technology poses ominous risks for privacy.

Facial recognition is the latest Facebook feature to attract criticism

Legal threats
The Hamburg-based commissioner, Johannes Caspar, has written to Facebook asking it to stop using the technology in Germany, claiming it is illegal under European data protection law. He has threatened legal action if the website does not comply, which could result in fines of up to 263,000. We have repeatedly asked Facebook to shut down the facial recognition function and delete the previously stored data, he said. The automatic face detection is a serious interference with the individuals right to informational self-determination ... Facebook should recognise this and respond quickly to our demands. In an interview with Hamburger Abendblatt, he added: If the data were to get into the wrong hands, then someone with a picture taken on
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Spying machine
The notorious hacker group Anonymous has vowed that it will attack the website later this year, saying: Join the cause and kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy. But it is not the first time the website has come under fire over privacy-related issues. Last year there was a similar outcry after the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook

had been sharing users personal information with advertisers without the users knowledge or consent. And in May WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange branded the website the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented, alleging it is used by government authorities to track people. Here we have the worlds most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US intelligence, he said. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO), the UK body with the responsibility for promoting the protection of personal information, has been in contact with Facebook over the latest concerns. An ICO spokesperson said: We have spoken to Facebook about the privacy implications of their facial recognition technology. As with any new technology, we expect Facebook to be upfront about how peoples

personal information is being used.

Global enterprise
The privacy issues that this software might raise are obvious and users should be given as much information as possible to give them the opportunity to make an informed choice about whether they wish to use it. We would welcome any approach aimed at providing individuals with greater control over how their personal information is handled. Facebook was founded in 2004 as an online directory for Harvard University students. It has since grown into a multibillion dollar global enterprise, used to share more than 30 billion pieces of content every month, including photos. A spokesperson for the website said in a statement: We will consider the points the Hamburg data protection authority have made about the photo tag suggest feature but firmly reject any claim that we are not meeting our obligations under European Union data protection law.
RYAN GALLAGHER

THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH 15-21 AUGUST 2011