The feature, called Tag Suggestions, has prompted criticism from privacy critics over Facebook's failure to alert users to the change. Users can only change their settings after the fact, as the facial recognition setting is applied without consent.

According to the New York Times, the facial recognition feature has prompted privacy inquiries. The European Union data-protection regulators will be investigating Facebook Inc. over the facial recognition feature. In the United States, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a privacy watchdog group, is planning to file a complaint this week with the Federal Trade Commission.

The New York Times reported that the Washington-based group is expected to be file their complaint Wednesday or Thursday, according to the EPIC executive director Marc Rotenberg. The Times also said that a spokesperson for Facebook, Andrew Noyes, declined to comment on EPIC's plans to file an F.T.C. complaint.

Meanwhile, users can turn the facial recognition setting off in privacy settings underneath the “Things other share” menu.

Here’s how:

• At the top right hand corner of your page, select the "Account" tab
• Click "Privacy settings"
• Select "Customize settings"
• Scroll down the page to "Things others share"
• Select "Edit settings" next to "Suggest photos of me to friends" and "Disable" the feature from the dropdown menu