Meta is bringing new facial recognition tools to the UK, EU and South Korea

Meta is expanding the use of facial recognition technology on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, in the UK, EU, and South Korea. The new features are aimed at identifying and removing accounts that impersonate public figures, which are often used in scams to trick users. Public figures can opt-in to the program, which compares their profile pictures to suspicious accounts to detect and remove impostor accounts. The facial recognition technology has been in use in the US since last year and is now being rolled out in the mentioned regions. In addition to the impersonation detection, the technology is also being used to aid in account recovery. This move comes three years after Facebook decided to shut down its facial recognition system due to public backlash against the technology. Meta claims that these tools have been effective, with a 22% drop in reported "celebrity bait" ads globally in the first half of 2025. However, facial recognition technology remains a controversial topic, with ongoing debates about its use in law enforcement and the workplace.