Meta Settles Texas Facial Recognition Lawsuit for Unprecedented $1.4B

Published Date: 31/07/2024

Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a landmark privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their permission.

"In a major victory for privacy advocates, Meta has agreed to a historic $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas in a lawsuit alleging that the tech giant used biometric data of users without their consent. The settlement, announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is the largest secured by a single state and is a significant blow to Meta's facial recognition practices.

The lawsuit, filed in 2022, claimed that Meta was in violation of a Texas state law that prohibits capturing or selling a resident's biometric information, such as their face or fingerprint, without their consent. Meta's facial recognition system, which was introduced over a decade ago, had been the subject of growing concerns about its misuse by governments, police, and others.

In 2021, Meta announced that it was shutting down its face-recognition system and deleting the faceprints of more than 1 billion people. However, the company has still faced numerous lawsuits over its handling of biometric data.

This settlement is a significant milestone in the battle for privacy rights, with Chicago-based class action attorney Jay Edelson calling it 'by far the biggest state governmental privacy settlement in history.' Edelson's firm had previously secured a $650 million settlement with Meta over similar allegations in Illinois.

To date, Meta has now paid over $2 billion in settlements for biometric privacy claims, sending a strong signal to other companies about the importance of protecting individuals' biometric information.

Meanwhile, a similar lawsuit filed by Texas against Google in 2022 is still pending. According to the lawsuit, Google collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through its products and services like Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max.

The $1.4 billion settlement is unlikely to make a significant dent in Meta's business, with the company reporting a profit of $12.37 billion in the first three months of this year. However, it represents a major victory for privacy advocates and a significant step towards holding tech companies accountable for their handling of sensitive personal data."

FAQs:

"Q: What is the amount of the settlement between Meta and Texas?

A: $1.4 billion

Q: What is the basis of the lawsuit filed by Texas against Meta?

A: Allegations that Meta used biometric data of users without their consent

Q: What is the largest settlement secured by a single state in the US?

A: The $1.4 billion settlement between Meta and Texas

Q: How much has Meta paid in settlements for biometric privacy claims to date?

A: Over $2 billion

Q: What is the name of the law that prohibits capturing or selling a resident's biometric information in Texas?

A: Texas state law"

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