03/05/2025

Meta’s Expansion of Anti-Fraud Facial Recognition Tool in UK, a Security Measure or Privacy Risk?

Techi

Meta has, once again, stepped into the lost realm of facial recognition, which hasn’t been free of controversies in the past. After years of being disenchanted by not-so-pleasant regulations, resulting in billion-dollar settlements, the tech giant is taking the AI-powered route to add facial recognition to its suite of tools all over again. This time, in reducing online scams and account takeover, is it really about user protection, or is this a strategic move to channel facial recognition back into public view under a different, more attractive guise? With Meta taking the anti-fraud tool into the UK, the subject of privacy, security, and corporate responsibility again throws the spotlight on users. 

Meta launched two new AI-powered features in October to facilitate either the impersonation of a celebrity or the recovery of hacked Facebook and Instagram accounts. An initial trial of the features only included global markets, but now, the tech company has expanded the experimentation into the UK after regulators embraced them. After being engaged with the regulators for a while, the approval to start the process was received. Meta is also extending a feature called “celeb bait,” which is meant to prevent scammers from using the real names of public figures to an even larger audience in countries where it was previously available. I guess it’s all fun and games until Meta’s facial recognition mistakes you for a celebrity and starts flagging your selfies.