Audio By Carbonatix
Meta Platforms has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to resolve the state’s lawsuit accusing the Facebook parent of illegally using facial-recognition technology to collect biometric data of millions of Texans without their consent.
The terms of the settlement, disclosed on Tuesday, mark the largest accord ever by any single state, according to the lawyers for Texas, whose legal team included the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022, was the first major case to be brought under Texas' 2009 biometric privacy law, according to law firms tracking the litigation. A provision of the law provides damages of up to $25,000 per violation.
Texas accused Facebook of capturing biometric information "billions of times" from photos and videos that users uploaded to the social media platform as part of a free, discontinued feature called "Tag Suggestions."
A spokesperson for Meta said the company is pleased to resolve the matter and looks forward to "exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centres."

It has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement said the settlement marks 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 said they reached an accord in May, weeks before the start of a trial in state court was scheduled to begin.
Meta separately agreed to pay $650 million in 2020 to settle a biometric privacy class action that was brought under an Illinois privacy law that is considered one of the nation's most stringent. The company also denied wrongdoing.
Alphabet’s Google separately is fighting a lawsuit by Texas accusing the company of violating the state’s biometric law.
Latest Stories
-
World Cup fever meets power anxiety: Ho residents plead for stable electricity
12 minutes -
Nii Lante Vanderpuye ready to contest NDC chairmanship if Asiedu Nketia steps aside
15 minutes -
Government to begin paying Free SHS suppliers’ arrears next week
18 minutes -
CSOs urge Supreme Court to uphold legality of Special Prosecutor’s office
21 minutes -
Mahama won’t shield Sedina Tamakloe from justice – Vanderpuye
24 minutes -
GMet proposes Authority status under new legislative framework
28 minutes -
Kpone Katamanso MCE condemns cattle invasion of school after viral video
31 minutes -
Speaker Bagbin calls for closer Parliament-Judiciary ties as Supreme Court marks 150 years
34 minutes -
World Blood Donor Day: Ghana celebrates humanity behind every drop of blood
37 minutes -
Mahama calls for new Ghana-EU partnership driven by trade, investment and industrialisation
40 minutes -
I’m not the president’s appointee; my allegiance is to MPs and Ghana – Speaker
43 minutes -
Fisheries Minister launches project to transform abandoned pits into fish farms
46 minutes -
Ghana-Canada investment forum to deepen economic cooperation
49 minutes -
Ashanti GNAT calls for calm over Nyinahin Catholic SHS teacher-student incident
53 minutes -
PBC workers call on Mahama to fulfil promise to revamp company
56 minutes