Facebook may use profile pictures for recognition of face

Facebook is looking out to use profile pictures to identify its members by using contraversial facial recognition technology.Facebook's tag suggest feature currently identifies faces in newly  uploaded photos by comparing them with the pictures in which the users have previously tagged with. Facial recognition software is used to calculate a unique “template” based on someone’s facial features, like the distance between the eyes, nose and ears.Templates are only created for people on Facebook who have been tagged in a photo. Facebook users can choose to de-tag themselves from photos posted by other users on the site, and these photos will not be used to create the template.Facebook facial recognition software has long been controversial. It was turned on by default in 2011, meaning members had to opt out if they did not want to be part of the system, resulting in an outcry from privacy campaigners, who claimed that data had been collected and processed without consent.The social network was then forced to switch off its facial recognition tool and delete data collected from European users in October 2012, following an investigation by privacy authorities in Ireland and Germany. However, the software is still gaining traction in the US.Google's social network, Google+, uses similar facial recognition technology, but requires user consent. Google has also said that its wearable computer, Google Glass, will not automatically use users' faces until privacy concerns are allayed.