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Meta has agreed to <\/a> in order to resolve a lawsuit that accused the company of illegally using facial recognition technology. The suit alleges that Meta used this tech to collect the biometric data of millions of Texans without consent. The agreement marks the largest financial settlement ever paid out to a single state.<\/p>\n The lawsuit <\/a> and was the first big case brought under the state\u2019s Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, which was put into place back in 2009. A provision of this law mandates up to $25,000 per violation and Texas accused Meta of violating the statute \u201cbillions of times\u201d via photos and videos that users uploaded to Facebook that were tagged without consent.<\/p>\n Additionally, the original suit could have led to an additional $10,000 per alleged violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. In other words, Meta just saved itself a bunch of money, considering the sheer number of alleged violations and a maximum financial penalty of $35,000 each.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8BREAKING NEWS: \u00a0We have secured a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta to stop the company\u2019s practice of capturing and using the personal biometric data of millions of Texans without the authorization required by law. \u2014 Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n A spokesperson for <\/em><\/a> that it\u2019s happy the matter is settled and that the company is “exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers.\u201d The company, however, continues to deny any wrongdoing, though it has <\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking something of a victory lap, declaring in an official statement that the state is fully committed to \u201cstanding up to the world\u2019s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating\u201d privacy rights. Texas and Meta reached this settlement just weeks before a court trial was set to begin.<\/p>\n \u201cFacebook will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one\u2019s safety and well-being,\u201d Paxton said when the suit was originally filed. \u201cThis is yet another example of Big Tech\u2019s deceitful business practices and it must stop.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Meta has had to issue a large payout to a state regarding the alleged collection of biometric data. The company <\/a> back in 2020 to settle a similar class action suit. That suit alleged that the company had violated a privacy law that requires companies to get explicit consent before collecting biometric data from users. Once again, Meta denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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This settlement is the largest ever obtained from an action\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/AkOppAGO0K<\/a><\/p>\n