Meta tests facial recognition technology to protect celebrities from scams but Ireland not included in system

Meta is testing a new facial recognition system that will help it battle against scams against celebrities on its platforms, the company said.
The owner of Facebook and Instagram will also use the technology as a way to help users locked out of their accounts, either due to losing their log-in credentials or having their account taken over by fraudsters, to regain their access.
But Ireland and the rest of the EU will not be included in the test due to the complexity of regulations around the use of such data, Meta said.
The company is targeting fraudsters and scammers trying to fool people through so-called celebrity bait ads, where scammers use the image of somebody well-known to fool people into clicking on a malicious website.
“Facial recognition technology … it’s a very powerful tool. We’re hoping that by showing how we are testing this technology to help keep people safe, we can help inform the broader industry approach to a problem that is really a whole of internet problem,” said Monika Bickert, Meta’s head of head of global policy management.
“We don’t want any scams or frauds on our apps. This is also a very adversarial space, however, and it’s complicated to detect and remove scammers.”
Meta’s new technology will take suspected scam ad photos, assess the image that is being used in that ad and compare it to images from the celebrities Facebook or Instagram account. If it detects a match, the system will block the ad.
“This is a real time process. It’s faster and it’s more accurate than manual review,” said Ms Bickert. “We have begun this with a very small group of celebrities who have been impacted by this type of ad. We’re going to be launching the broader test starting in December, and in the intervening period, we’re going to be reaching out to the celebrities and letting them know that they’re being enrolled in this protection. They can always opt out if they want to, but we will be letting them know over the course of the next month or so.”
The account recovery system will also begin a wider test in December.
Regulations around the use of personal data in the EU – which includes facial recognition – make things more complicated for a launch in Ireland, the company said. The UK is also being excluded from the test.
The company previously implemented facial recognition for photos and videos shared to its platforms, encouraging people to tag friends or family members, but halted its use in 2021 amid concerns about the technology.
“We were clear at that time that we continue to see facial recognition technology as a powerful tool for safety and integrity uses, and we’ve remained actively engaged in discussions with policymakers, experts and regulators on the overall topic of the use of facial recognition technology in society,” said Ms Bickert.