Facebook Facial Recognition Tool Is Good For Online Privacy

I'm a fairly private person.  I don't mind posting and sharing online, but I get upset when private data is being leaked without my knowledge or intervention.  For these reasons I shunned Facebook for years -- that is, until last year when Facebook revamped their privacy controls.

Even though Facebook still gets a lot of flack for not going far enough with their user controls, I live by the rule, if I don't want it online I don't share it -- and I make extensive use of groups to control how what I do post is shared.  Yes, this still requires a fair amount is trust in Facebook, but the advantage of being able to keep in touch with family and friends is a feature I like to have.

The scary part about Facebook is the part I'm not in control of, my Facebook Friends.  Unfortunately, there is little I can do when friends share my personal information or pictures online.  I always cringe every time a see a friend "Answered a question about me!", and because I don't use ANY Facebooks apps I never really know what information was shared.  (BTW - I think Facebook apps are a vast privacy invasion -- it's probably best to not use them and live without the knowledge of what superhero you are most like.)

Since it's impossible to control friends online (just as it is offline), it's useful to know what information is being shared about you.  When I first joined Facebook I was shocked at how many pictures of me already existed on their system, posted by friends.

This is where Facebook's new facial recognition tool comes into play.  This (controversial?) option automatically suggests to friends that you would like to be tagged in the pictures you appear in, which in turn will likely mean that you are tagged in pictures more often.  This is good, since the only way I usually know about the pictures I appear in, is when I'm tagged in the picture.  Better online awareness about your information means better online privacy.  Simple as that.

Posted: Jun 10, 2011