Facebook to shut down facial recognition system due to societal concerns 

The change will now delete the "facial recognition templates" of more than 1 billion people.

The company, which last week renamed itself Meta Platforms Inc, said more than one-third of Facebook's daily active users have opted into the face recognition setting. Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook has announced that it is shutting down its facial recognition system which automatically identifies users in photos and videos, citing growing societal concerns about the use of such technology.

"Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use," said Jerome Pesenti, vice president of artificial intelligence at Facebook, in a blog post.