Facebook is 'building a device that can recognise faces and find their accounts'

A man walks past a slogan at Facebook's headquarters in London, Britain, December 4, 2017 (REUTERS/Toby Melville)

Facebook is building a device that will be capable of watching and listening to users at home, according to a new report.

The gadget, called Portal, will feature a wide-angle camera that can recognise individual faces.

Through this, it will be able to associate different people with their Facebook accounts, and log them in without forcing them to enter their login details.

It will also be equipped with a 15-inch touchscreen and a range of microphones, so it can listen to what you say and respond to your commands.

The device is currently under development, and looks set to launch at its next developer conference in May, reports Cheddar.

It is being built by Building 8, Facebook’s secretive hardware division, which is also working on mind-reading technologies.

Portal is expected to compete with Amazon’s established line of voice-controlled Echo smart speakers.

It sounds especially similar to the Echo Show, which also features a camera, microphones and a touch display.

However, Facebook is reportedly planning to pitch Portal as a social device for keeping people in touch with friends and family.

It will also be capable of linking up with third-party services, such as Spotify and Netflix.

Building 8 is also developing a system that would allow people to communicate exclusively through touch.