Meta Agrees to $1.4B Settlement With Texas Over Biometric Privacy

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 is the largest settlement ever obtained from an action by a single state, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. It's also the first settlement successfully obtained under the "Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier" (CUBI) Act in Texas. 

"This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights," said Paxton's office in a statement. "Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law."

Texas initially filed the lawsuit in February 2022, arguing that the technology giant captured and stored the biometric data of millions of Texas residents without their explicit consent. The capture occurred for more a decade, as Meta runs facial recognition software on a majority of faces depicted in photographs uploaded to Facebook.

According to Paxton's office, Meta did this "despite knowing that CUBI forbids companies from capturing biometric identifiers of Texans" unless consent is received. 

Now, that the settlement has been reached nearly two years later, Meta will pay the staggering sum over a period of five years to the Texas state coffers.