Facebook users warned of face recognition privacy risk

Security experts are warning Facebook users to revisit their privacy settings after the social network rolled out face recognition technology which could once again mean that personal information is being shared by default.

The technology automatically scans any photos uploaded, and recommends that the user tags them if it determines a match for any of the people in the photos.

To make matters worse, Facebook appears to have made it rather complicated to disable the 'suggest photos of me to friends' function, according to Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley.

The security expert argued that the onus should not be on Facebook users to 'opt out' but to 'opt in' to such features.

"Unfortunately, once again, Facebook seems to be sharing personal information by default. Many people feel distinctly uncomfortable about a site like Facebook learning what they look like, and using that information without their permission," Cluley wrote in a blog post.

"Most Facebook users still don't know how to set their privacy options safely, finding the whole system confusing. It's even harder, though, to keep control when Facebook changes the settings without your knowledge."

The news threatens to reignite the debate over whether Facebook is doing enough to protect the privacy of its users.

The social network has often been accused of making its privacy settings too complicated for ordinary people, and of repeatedly setting defaults to opt out rather than opt in.

BT chief security technology officer Bruce Schneier was perhaps the most outspoken when he accused Facebook, Google and other firms last autumn of "deliberately killing privacy" in the pursuit of profits.

However, Facebook has been making improvements to its site, introducing supposedly simpler privacy controls in May last year, and adding an online Help Centre, Safety Centre and Guide to Privacy.