Social media Meta pays 1.4 billion in Texas over facial recognition
The Facebook group Meta wants to settle a lawsuit regarding the handling of biometric data in Texas with a payment of 1.4 billion dollars. The case concerns an earlier function that automatically recognized Facebook users in photos.
30.07.2024, 18:21
SDA
According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Meta intends to pay the billion-dollar sum over a period of five years. In a lawsuit filed in 2022, Texas accused Meta of violating two state laws. For example, a Texas law on the collection of biometric data stipulates that the explicit consent of those affected must be obtained. Paxton emphasized that this had not happened despite years of using facial recognition technology.
At the time, Meta rejected the allegations as unfounded. According to a statement on US broadcaster CNBC, the company is now satisfied that the matter has been settled - and wants to explore further investments in Texas, including possible data centers.
The feature, which was abolished at the end of 2021, automatically tagged a user's Facebook friends in uploaded photos. Paxton argued that facial features of both members of the online network and non-users were captured for this purpose.
Not the first large payment in the USA
Facebook settled a similar lawsuit in the state of Illinois in 2020 with a payment of 650 million dollars. In the lawsuit, Texas had demanded 25,000 dollars for each individual violation of the law on biometric data - as well as a further 10,000 dollars for each violation of a law against fraudulent business practices.
According to estimates cited in the lawsuit, Facebook had around 20.5 million users in the state in 2021. Paxton also sued Google in 2022, alleging that it created biometric profiles of people without their consent.
