當地時間11月2日，美國臉書公司宣佈，該公司將關閉人臉識別系統，並刪除10億人的掃描資料。這也是該公司繼公司更名為Meta（元宇宙）後的另一重大決定。
在這一訊息宣佈之際，該公司深陷內部檔案外洩的醜聞，還有吹哨人指控該公司把營利置於安全之上，指其網站和應用“危害兒童、製造分裂且削弱美國民主”。
據悉，臉書公司的人臉識別系統可自動識別臉書使用者的數碼照片，這項功能是其公司建立全球人臉資料庫的一大關鍵，該資料庫後來也引發巨大爭議。
臉書母公司Meta人工智慧副總裁傑羅姆·佩森蒂在一篇部落格文章中寫道：“該公司將會在未來幾周內刪除超過10億人的面部識別掃描資料。這一改變將是人臉識別技術歷史上最大的轉變之一。”
他還表示：“我們需要權衡面部識別的積極用例與日益增長的社會問題，特別是監管機構尚未提供明確的規則。”
Scandal-hit Facebook is shutting down its long-criticized facial recognition system and deleting scan data on a billion people， it said Tuesday in a shock response to privacy concerns。
The announcement came as the tech giant battles one of its worst crises ever， with reams of internal documents leaked to reporters， lawmakers and U。S。 regulators fueling fresh calls for government regulation。
This policy change shuts down a feature that automatically identified people who appeared in Facebook users‘ digital photos and was key to the company building a global library of faces that became a magnet for controversy。
“This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage in the technology’s history，” wrote Jerome Pesenti， vice president of artificial intelligence at Facebook‘s parent company Meta。
“There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society， and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use，” he said。
Pesenti did not directly explain why the change was announced at a moment when the company is deluged with reports based on leaked documents that argue executives know the platform could cause harm。
Winding down the system “will result in the deletion of more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates，” he wrote， adding that it would take place over the coming weeks。
對於臉書的這一舉措，
馬薩諸塞州波士頓東北大學研究面部監控的計算機科學家、法學教授伍德羅·哈特佐格稱：“這一決定是一場‘勝利’，表明需要對科技公司進行持續的隱私倡導和批評。”
CNN評論稱，臉書公司停止使用人臉識別軟體並清除既往人臉資料的舉措標誌著一個重大的轉變。近年來，人臉識別功能讓使用者能夠在照片和影片中自動發現、標記自己，使使用者之間更好地互動，引導他們花更多的時間在Facebook上，使該公司受益很大。
然而，對於臉書公司的做法，有網友似乎並不“買賬”，他們表示不相信該公司的宣佈：
“為什麼我不相信……”
“或者更有利可圖的使用資料的方式。。。。。”
也有網友表示事情並沒有那麼簡單：
“他們說‘整個公司’（會刪除資料）可能是真的，但我也確信他們已經把這些資料賣給了合作公司。這些資料太有價值了，不可能隨便地刪除。”
“資料已經被盜，損害已經造成了。”
Privacy advocates welcomed the news， but some were concerned it was an effort to score points amid recent public relations disasters。
“The decision is a win that shows the need for ongoing privacy advocacy and critiques of tech companies，” said Woodrow Hartzog， a law and computer science professor at Northeastern University。
Facebook‘s move to stop using facial recognition software and wipe face data marks a significant shift。 In recent years， the company has benefited from facial recognition that allows users to automatically find and tag themselves in photos and videos， leading to better interactions between users and more time spent on Facebook， CNN commented。