The US state of Texas has sued Facebook parent company Meta for handling biometric data. This is about the function that has since been switched off, in which Facebook users were automatically recognized and marked in photos. Texas accuses Meta of violating two state laws.
For example, a Texas law on the collection of biometric data stipulates that the express consent of those affected must be obtained. According to the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, this did not happen despite years of use of facial recognition technology. Meta rejected the allegations as unfounded and wants to fight back.
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With the function, which was abolished at the end of 2021, users' Facebook contacts were automatically marked in uploaded photos. Paxton argues that facial features were captured from both online network members and non-users pictured. "This is another example of deceptive business practices by big tech companies, and it needs to stop," he said.
Meta wants to continue using facial recognition
A similar lawsuit in the state of Illinois settled Facebook in 2020 for $650 million. The financial claims of the plaintiffs can run into the high billions. The Attorney General is asking for $25,000 for each violation of the biometrics law and an additional $10,000 for each violation of a fraudulent business practices law. According to estimates cited in the lawsuit, Facebook had around 20.5 million users in the southern US state in 2021.
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Meta announced in November that it would shut down the feature. The group justified the step with data protection concerns and the lack of clear rules for the use of facial recognition technologies. Before that, Facebook had already changed the rules to the effect that users had to expressly agree to the tagging in images.
However, the group did not want to give up the technology completely, Meta had announced at the time: facial recognition could be used when unlocking devices or registering “with due transparency” for users.
With a market value of more than 600 billion dollars, Meta is one of the ten most valuable companies in the world - and does not shy away from legal disputes with states. The group recently announced in its annual report that it was considering withdrawing its Facebook and Instagram services from Europe. The background to this is the data protection requirements of the EU, which the group does not meet.
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