Facebook messenger can now recognise faces, but will the EU allow it?

New facial recognition feature is rolling out in Australia first, but might not be able to come to Europe at all, due to privacy issues

Facebook's Messenger app has received a new dose of artificial intelligence, and will now start recognising the faces of users' friends in photographs uploaded to the service.

But the new feature, which is initially rolling out in Australia, may not be coming to Europe any time soon, given the social network's long-running squabble with European data protection regulators over whether or not facial recognition infringes on the right to privacy.