After examining parts of Facebook’s source code, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) and a German data protection regulator have both confirmed that the social network has now deleted all facial recognition data for users based in Europe. CFO World reported the findings, citing an email from Ciara O’Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Irish DPC, who said: “We recently reviewed the source code and execution process used in the deletion process and can confirm that we were satisfied with the processes used by Facebook to delete the templates in line with its commitment.†The data deletion has also been confirmed today by the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information – specifically Ulrich Kühn, the head of Hamburg DPC’s technical department. ”For the time being, it is settled,” Kühn reportedly said. Facebook announced last September that it would delete all facial recognition data that it has stored regarding its European users. At the time, the social networking company said it had already turned off the feature for new users in the area, but that it would delete the templates used to identify existing users by October 15. That decision was forced on them following a long and arduous investigation into Facebook’s various practices after a user group in Austria complained in 2011. The Irish DPC has been involved specifically because this is where Facebook’s international headquarters are based
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