Meta Settles with Texas for $1.4 Billion Over Illegal Biometric Data Collection
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has agreed to a record $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over allegations of illegally collecting biometric data from millions of users without permission. This marks one of the largest penalties against the tech giant.
"This historic settlement shows our commitment to holding the world's biggest tech companies accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights," said Attorney General Ken Paxton. "Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will face the full force of the law."
The lawsuit, filed over two years ago, accused Meta of unlawfully capturing facial data of Texans without informed consent, violating the state's Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier (CUBI) Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Although Meta settled, it did not admit any wrongdoing.
Introduced in 2010, Facebook's Tag Suggestions feature allowed users to tag people in photos, but it was enabled by default without adequate explanation. The Attorney General's office stated that Meta ran facial recognition software on virtually every face in photos uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of facial geometry without proper consent.
In November 2021, Meta announced it would discontinue its Face Recognition system and delete over a billion users' facial recognition templates. This followed a $650 million settlement in a 2015 class-action lawsuit in Illinois over similar allegations.
Texas is also suing Google for allegedly violating the same biometric privacy law by collecting voice and facial data through Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max. That case is currently ongoing.
For Further Reference