Facebook checks for impersonating accounts within friend circle
San Francisco, May 6: Facebook has admitted that it mostly looks for impostors -- who use a user's photo as their profile pictures -- only among friends and friends of friends, a media report said.
According to The Washington Post, Facebook said that it does compare profile photos against millions of other users', but it did not reveal a specific number.
"We use new technologies to protect people on Facebook and we are often able to improve as we roll them out," Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld said.
"In the early days of this feature, we are focused on alerting people to new and recent photos posted by their friends and friends of their friends. We hope to improve how we use this technology over time."
It also did not disclose how it chooses which accounts to compare against and sometimes it disables people's real accounts instead.
The social media giant recently launched "Face Recognition" feature that said that switching it on can "help protect you from strangers using a photo of you as their profile picture".
The company believes that there were as many as 87 million fake accounts as of last quarter, which is nearly five times as many as the 18 million fakes on the website back in 2016.
Facebook said the increase was due to "episodic spikes" in fake account creation in countries such as Indonesia, Turkey and Vietnam.
Although Facebook has done a lot of work in face recognition and other Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as its weapons to combat political propaganda, hate speech and misinformation, the company was struggling to use the technology to connect real people around the world.
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CPI(M) alleges EC's inaction against BJP leaders’ anti-Muslim speeches despite complaints
New Delhi: Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), has accused the Election Commission (EC) of failing to address the BJP's alleged anti-Muslim speeches during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Yechury's accusations come despite multiple complaints lodged by his party.
Yechury claims that the BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been inciting hatred against Muslims with their speeches, yet the EC has not taken any action despite receiving several complaints. He highlighted instances where BJP leaders violated the Model Code of Conduct.
One such instance cited by Yechury is Modi's speech in Rajasthan on April 21, where he allegedly made divisive remarks implying that the Congress planned to favor Muslims over other citizens. Yechury asserts that the EC's notice to BJP President JP Nadda regarding Modi's speech had little impact, as subsequent speeches continued to violate the poll code.
Yechury also pointed out recent speeches by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging similar attempts to stoke communal tensions.
In his letter to the EC, Yechury urged decisive action against Modi, Adityanath, and Sarma, emphasizing that the impartiality and credibility of the EC could be compromised if it fails to address such violations, especially when they involve high-ranking officials.
The CPI(M) had previously lodged complaints with the EC regarding Modi's references to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and his labeling of the opposition as opponents of the temple.
Yechury's allegations underscore growing concerns over the influence of divisive rhetoric in Indian electoral politics and the role of the EC in ensuring fair and unbiased elections.
