Meta has reached a resolution in a legal dispute in the state of Texas, agreeing to pay a sum of 1.4 billion dollars. The lawsuit centered around the unauthorized collection of biometric data from users.
The case was initiated by Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, who alleged that Meta unlawfully gathered biometric information of Facebook users. This practice was reportedly carried out through the analysis of photos uploaded by users. Meta has settled the lawsuit with a payment of 1.4 billion dollars, a decision that has been endorsed by the court.
Paxton had filed the lawsuit against Meta over two years ago, citing a violation of Texas law related to biometric data. Specifically, the issue was linked to a Facebook feature known as Tag Suggestions, which facilitated the tagging of friends in photos. Paxton expressed concerns about Meta's use of facial recognition software to capture facial geometry without explicit consent in a statement shared in a press release.
Since 2009, Texas has had a law governing biometric data known as the Capture Or Use Of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI). This legislation prohibits the collection of biometric details like facial geometry without proper notification and consent. In the past, there were discussions about potential penalties of $25,000 per violation of this law in addition to penalties under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which could have led to substantial financial penalties, as reported in an article by The Wall Street Journal. Meta has agreed to pay 1.4 billion dollars over the course of five years to settle the matter, marking the largest settlement in a single state according to Paxton.
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