Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement in Texas facial recognition lawsuit
What's the story
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas, US. The suit alleged that Meta had unlawfully used facial recognition technology, to collect biometric data from millions of Texans without their permission. The terms of this settlement were disclosed today, marking it as the largest agreement ever reached by any single US state, according to Texas's legal team.
Historic lawsuit
Landmark case under Texas's biometric privacy law
The lawsuit against Meta, initiated in 2022, was a landmark case under Texas's 2009 biometric privacy law. This legislation allows for damages of up to $25,000 per violation. The state accused Facebook of capturing biometric information "billions of times" from photos and videos uploaded by users via a free feature called "Tag Suggestions," which has since been discontinued.
Statement
Meta's response and future plans
Meta, while agreeing to the settlement, continues to deny any wrongdoing. A company spokesperson expressed satisfaction at resolving the issue and stated that they look forward to "exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers." The agreement between Texas and Meta was finalized in May, just weeks before a trial in state court was set to commence.
State's stance
Texas's commitment to privacy rights enforcement
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a statement, said that this settlement demonstrates the state's "commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans's privacy rights." This is not Meta's first encounter with legal issues related to biometric privacy. In 2020, Meta agreed to pay $650 million in a class action lawsuit under an Illinois privacy law, considered one of the most stringent in the nation.