Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas over a lawsuit concerning the unauthorized use of biometric data from Facebook users. The lawsuit, initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in February 2022, accused Meta of capturing and using biometric data from photos and videos uploaded to Facebook without obtaining the necessary permissions. This practice violated Texas’ Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, which requires companies to inform and obtain consent from individuals before capturing their biometric identifiers.
The lawsuit highlighted that Meta's facial recognition software, introduced in 2011 with the “Tag Suggestions” feature, stored billions of biometric identifiers without user consent. Despite Meta shutting down its Face Recognition system on Facebook in late 2021 due to concerns over the technology, the legal action proceeded.
The settlement, filed in Texas state district court in Harrison County, is the largest ever obtained by a single state. Meta will pay the $1.4 billion over five years. Attorney General Paxton emphasized that this settlement underscores the state's commitment to holding major technology companies accountable for privacy violations.
A Meta spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the resolution and indicated interest in future business investments in Texas, including potential data center developments.
