Facebook faces the music

With almost three billion people on Facebook, there is always a problem or change happening to the app to make sure all users are as happy and content with their profile as possible. With that being said, a more recent change to the app has created a sense of relief and surprise for users. Facebook plans to shut down their facial recognition system to be able to find the right balance on the app. This means that they are deleting their face scan data that was used to tag people in photos for over one billion users. This software was released by Facebook in 2010, and it had always been a concern for privacy and safety by all. It even caused a lawsuit. The President of Artificial Intelligence at Facebook, Jerome Pesenti, claims the change in the app is needed and important.

“Every new technology brings with it potential for both benefit and concern, and we want to find the right balance,” Pesenti said.

People over the past decade have complained about the law enforcement using facial recognition that led to mistaken and wrong arrests. Fear has spread among many user of Facebook. Some states have even gone so far as to ban the technology in their own cities or state as a whole. The entire point of the feature was so it was easier for users, and they could save time when posting. The software

Julia Earley

works by having the option to automatically connect the faces in the user’s images to the face’s account and tagging them.

This change was needed for all users to have a sense of privacy and not feel like the recognition will tag them in photos they don’t want to be tagged in.

“Making this change required us to weigh the instances where facial recognition can be helpful against the growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole,” said a spokesman, Jason Grosse.

Although this change may seem for the better, some users are not ready for the switch because it changes how Facebook works. It requires users to get used to a new software and an entirely new app. Before, the user would receive a notification if they were tagged in a new photo, and now, that feature is being taken away. This makes many people’s daily use of the app switch and might cause confusion and irritation.

Facebook is currently meeting up with companies to better understand how to use privacy better in their company. The problems of worrying about facial recognition have finally come to a conclusion after 10 years of lawsuits and battles between users and the company.

Is equality light-years away?

Annie Duggan

One of the most prominent quotes demanded of and towards women is, “Break the glass ceiling.” Women are constantly told and reprimanded of all the possibilities the world gives them to become great and successful. Yet being compared to men and with a man’s accomplishments still remains an obstacle. While healthy competition exists, gender itself sometimes becomes an issue that comes into play. Sexism can exist in more places than others though.

Colonel Wang Yaping, a forty-one year old woman, is a space veteran in China.Yaping is a pilot of the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army. She is set to become the first Chinese woman to walk in space during her six month mission. Regardless of gender, this is an amazing and lifelong achievement.

However, she is being put down. Chinese Media focused their attention on comparing men and women’s physiology instead of solely admiring her accomplishments. There was mention of menstrual cycles. Pang Zhihao, an employee of the China National Space Administration, made sure to supply the cargo capsule with sanitary napkins and cosmetics. He then condescendingly announced his thoughts to the public: “Female astronauts

may be in better shape after putting on makeup.” In addition, the media pointed out that she will be leaving her five year old daughter behind. There was no mention of the children of her male colleagues though. There are barriers that exist for women in politics as well. The Chinese political party has only one woman. In addition, women in the workplace are put down for becoming pregnant and usually fired after. Feminists in China have tried to take a stand against this problem by initiating the “Me Too” movement. The “Me Too” movement started as a global hashtag as a way for survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault as well as bullying to share their stories. Specifically though, in China the “Me Too” movement is an online website run by Chinese women fighting for the inclusivity and fair treatment of women in China. There is a lot of backlash in China surrounding this movement. Lupine, a woman from China, also founded an online forum to express her feminist views. She was then kicked out of the Internet. The “Me Too” movement in China still exists though, and women will continue to fight against backlash.

“We will continue engaging in that conversation and working with the civil society groups and regulators who are leading this discussion,” said Presenti.

In late October, Facebook changed its name to Meta in hopes of rebranding themselves. The company plans on expanding beyond the social media platform and hopes its new title will reflect that. Critics have said the new name change is a way of deflecting attention away from the recent news reports that have criticized the company. The new logo reflects the brands “DNA” as a company that was created to connect people.

Despite its many allogations that have surfaced over the years, the new branding of the company shows that they are not slowing down any time soon.

above: Facebook’s new company name and logo

Colonel Wang is still set to take off as well, and she will rise above this sexism. Regarding her thoughts on facing backlash, she speaks on this subject with confidence: “ For me, being an astronaut is not a profession, but a career--a career that I love eagerly, “ she said. “This love is enough for me to overcome all the difficulties, overcome all the barriers, and even sacrifice my life.”