Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas in order to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally using facial recognition technology to collect biometric data without consent from millions of Texans. This marks the largest financial settlement ever paid out to a single state. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, was the first major case under Texas’ Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, with potential penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. Additionally, Meta could have faced $10,000 per violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Despite denying any wrongdoing, Meta has shut down its automated facial recognition system. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the settlement, emphasizing the state’s commitment to holding big tech companies accountable for privacy violations. This settlement with Meta comes after a similar $650 million payout to Illinois in 2020 for violating biometric data privacy laws.
