Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle a lawsuit accusing it of illegally collecting biometric data from millions of Texans without their consent. The lawsuit, filed in 2022, was based on Texas’ 2009 biometric privacy law and represents the largest settlement of its kind by a single state. Texas alleged that Meta’s now-discontinued “Tag Suggestions” feature captured biometric information “billions of times” from user photos and videos.
While Meta has denied any wrongdoing, the company expressed satisfaction with the settlement and indicated an interest in exploring further business opportunities in Texas, including the potential development of data centers. The lawsuit highlighted Texas’ commitment to protecting privacy rights, with Attorney General Ken Paxton stating that the settlement underscored the state’s resolve to hold major technology companies accountable for legal violations.
This settlement follows a similar case in Illinois, where Meta agreed to pay $650 million in 2020 to resolve a class action lawsuit under that state’s stringent biometric privacy law. Meanwhile, Google, another tech giant, is facing a separate lawsuit in Texas for allegedly violating the state’s biometric laws.
