Facebook launches facial recognition app in Europe

Except the new version will not actually include any facial recognition technology, thanks to the company’s long-running fight with the Irish data protection commissioner over whether the technology is actually legal in the EU.

Launched in June 2015, Moments is Facebook’s answer to dedicated photo management applications like Google Photos and Apple’s Photos. The app bundles pictures together by the event they are taken at, and applies facial recognition technology to identify who’s in each picture.

The big difference that remains is the ability to privately share pictures, though, and it is one that cuts to the core of Facebook’s issues today. The company has to deal with a user-base increasingly aware of privacy issues, and can often be unwilling to post publicly where they would once share copiously. The ability to share images privately with others could reverse that trend.