Texas has reached a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta Platforms to resolve a lawsuit filed in 2022. The lawsuit accused the Facebook parent of using facial-recognition technology to collect biometric data of millions of Texans without their consent. Keller Postman represented the plaintiffs in the case.
Texas accused Facebook of collecting biometric information “billions of times” from images and videos that users posted to the social media network as part of a free, now-defunct tool called “Tag Suggestions.”
A Meta spokeswoman stated that the company is delighted to have resolved the dispute and looks forward to “exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that the settlement demonstrates the state’s “commitment to standing up to the world’s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights.”
Texas and Meta claimed they reached an agreement in May, weeks before a trial in state court was about to begin.
Meta also agreed to pay $650 million in 2020 to settle a biometric privacy class action launched under an Illinois privacy legislation that is regarded as one of the nation’s most restrictive. The corporation also denied any misconduct.
Separately, Alphabet’s Google is battling a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas accusing the corporation of breaking biometric laws.
