Face Up

Facebook Asks EU Users for Consent on Facial Recognition

Preview of privacy overhaul in wake of Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook has provided a preview of how it will change its privacy policies in the wake of its data-harvesting scandal after it confirmed it will now ask users in the EU for permission to use their personal data for features such as facial recognition and some forms of targeted ads. The EU is about to introduce strict data-use laws and, in a statement announcing changes, Facebook said it wanted to “go beyond our obligations” in protecting users’ privacy. The measures will include asking users to choose what level of information they share for targeted ads; restricting Facebook’s use of relationship, religious, and employment data; and seeking permission to collect facial-recognition data. Teenagers will also need permission from a guardian to use some features of the social network. The changes may be a precursor for changes in Facebook policy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and ahead of the outcome of a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. for using the facial-recognition technology without user consent.