E-commerce trade association NetChoice says it is seeing progress in government negotiations about the use of facial recognition technology despite the recent departure of several key players.

NetChoice is one of at least two trade groups taking part in discussions led by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration to craft voluntary standards for the commercial use of facial recognition technology. The other is the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Nine privacy rights groups pulled out of the negotiations in June, saying business interests had hijacked the process. The groups wanted commitments from businesses that they wouldn't collect any facial recognition data unless given permission from consumers.

The first round of negotiations since the departures took place Monday, and in a statement, NetChoice called them "extremely productive."

"We all agree that companies using facial recognition technologies should provide people meaningful control when their facial image data is shared with others who might not otherwise have access to or are authorized to have access to that data," the group said in a statement.

NetChoice added that "we continue to encourage all interested parties to participate in this inclusive and cooperative process."

The association said it remains committed to making sure the use of the technology remains free of mandates like requiring written permission before tagging friends and family in online photo albums. http://bit.ly/1E6fK6l

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