Meta was fined $1.4 billion for collecting users' faces

On July 30, Reuters quoted Texas attorney Meta as agreeing to pay $1.4 billion to users in this state to settle a lawsuit related to Facebook's collection of biometric data. This is the state's largest compromise ever.

The lawsuit stems from a facial recognition tool that suggests names of people appearing in photos deployed more than 10 years ago on Facebook. Many people believe that social networks have violated their privacy by collecting facial data without their consent and without informing how long that data will be stored.

Meta was fined $1.4 billion for collecting users' faces Picture 1 Meta was fined $1.4 billion for collecting users' faces Picture 1

Texans filed a class action complaint in 2022. It was the first major lawsuit related to the state's 2009 biometric privacy law. According to a provision of the law, damages for each violation are up to 25,000 USD. Texas accused Facebook of collecting biometrics "billions of times" from users' photos and videos.

After many calculations, in May, a few weeks before the trial began, the number the two sides negotiated was 1.4 billion USD.

According to a Meta spokesperson, the company is pleased to have the matter resolved and looks forward to "exploring future opportunities to increase business investments in Texas, including the possibility of developing hubs." data".

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared that this agreement shows "the state's commitment to fighting the world's largest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating privacy rights." of people".