Meta To Pay $1.4 Bln To Texas In Facial Recognition Data Lawsuit

(RTTNews) - Meta Platforms (META) has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas, alleging the Facebook-parent of capturing and using biometric data of users without their consent.

"After vigorously pursuing justice for our citizens whose privacy rights were violated by Meta's use of facial recognition software, I'm proud to announce that we have reached the largest settlement ever obtained from an action brought by a single state," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The lawsuit, filed in 2022, alleged that Meta's past use of facial recognition technology violated the state's Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

"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. Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law," Paxton stated.

The attorney general's office pointed out that Facebook's 'Tag Suggestions' feature, rolled out in 2011, claimed to make it easier for users to tag others in their photos. However, the feature virtually scanned every face on Facebook with the facial recognition software, "capturing records of the facial geometry of the people depicted".

In 2021, the social media site shut down the facial recognition systems, citing "growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole".

"We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers," a spokesperson of Meta told to CNBC.