Abstract: In this paper, text mining, qualitative analysis, and risk analysis were integrated to study facial recognition-related tweets posted on Twitter. By analyzing specific cognitive factors and social events, the paper investigated the change of public attitude in the West toward facial recognition technology from cognitive and emotional dimensions. Research finds that the public in the West have showed concern about the ethical and technical risks of using facial recognition technology, which is different from the public attitude in China; but the public attitude in the West has shifted from negative to positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming the significance of facial recognition technology in pandemic prevention. However, the application of facial recognition technology has not been completely incorporated into the traditional social order. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the social contradictions aroused by using facial recognition and guide the public to develop a positive and reasonable cognition of the technology.