Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to settle a lawsuit alleging that it illegally collected facial recognition data from millions of users without proper consent.
The settlement, announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, marks the largest privacy-related settlement by a U.S. state to date. Paxton filed the lawsuit in 2022, accusing Meta of violating Texas state privacy laws by automatically tagging users' faces on its platforms.
\"This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights,\" Paxton stated. \"Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law.\"
The move highlights the increasing enforcement of biometric privacy laws across several states. According to a report by The New York Times, states like Texas, Illinois, and Washington have enacted laws that restrict the collection of facial, voice, and other biometric data. Specifically, Texas' Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier law mandates that companies obtain explicit permission before utilizing technologies such as facial or voice recognition.
\"States have become increasingly aggressive in adopting and enforcing privacy laws, particularly in the absence of a federal privacy law,\" the report added.
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Meta to pay $1.4 billion over facial recognition privacy violations
cgtn.com
