August 1, 2024 at 03:54PM
Meta has agreed to pay a historic $1.4 billion settlement to Texas over the unauthorized use of user biometric data. This marks the largest settlement obtained from a single state and the first under Texas’ “Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier” (CUBI) Act. Texas attorney general emphasizes commitment to holding big tech companies accountable.
The meeting notes highlight that Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit with the state of Texas over Facebook’s unauthorized use of user biometric data. This settlement is the largest ever obtained from a single state action and the first to be successfully obtained under the “Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier” (CUBI) Act in Texas. The Texas Attorney General’s office emphasized their commitment to holding technology companies accountable for breaking the law and violating privacy rights, stating that any abuse of Texans’ sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law. The lawsuit, initially filed in February 2022, argued that Meta captured and stored the biometric data of millions of Texas residents without their explicit consent for over a decade, despite being aware of the regulations that forbid such actions. As a result of the settlement, Meta will pay the sum over a period of five years to the Texas state coffers.