Facebook Acquisition

Facebook today acquired face recognition technology provider FacioMetrics to beef up the social network giant’s photo and video capabilities. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

FacioMetrics spun out of Carnegie Mellon University in 2015 as a response to market demand surrounding use of facial image analysis. The company produced facial behavior and demographic tools for developers, using video. These tools aid facial detection and understanding, and even let you swap faces. In response to the acquisition, it appears that all of the startup’s apps have been removed from both the App Store and the Google Play store.

Users of FacioMetrics’ technology span the academic and tech industry worlds and include Lightricks, Anki, Meograph, University of Kentucky, Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a “leading social networking company” — perhaps Facebook?

“How people share and communicate is changing, and things like masks and other effects allow people to express themselves in fun and creative ways,” said a Facebook spokesperson in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome the FacioMetrics team, who will help bring more fun effects to photos and videos and build even more engaging sharing experiences on Facebook.”