Microsoft is quietly testing a new facial-recognition feature in OneDrive that automatically sorts photos based on who appears in them.
The experimental version is being rolled out to some early-access users, and it turns on by default while placing strict limits on how often it can be disabled.
Those with access will see a new privacy notice in the app stating: “OneDrive uses AI to recognize faces in your photos.”
Microsoft’s support page, which still labels the option as “coming soon,” explains that “Microsoft collects, uses, and stores facial scans and biometric information from your photos through the OneDrive app for facial grouping technologies.”
The company says this is intended to “help you quickly and easily organize photos of friends and family.”
Microsoft insists that the face groupings remain private even when users share albums. It also claims that “Microsoft does not use any of your facial scans and biometric information to train or improve the AI model overall.”
When asked why the system is enabled by default instead of requiring consent first, a company spokesperson told Slashdot that “Microsoft OneDrive inherits privacy features and settings from Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, where applicable.”
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