Texas sues Meta for using its facial recognition technology without Texans’ consent

Meta once again needs to defend itself in a lawsuit. The state of Texas, represented by Attorney General Paxton, sues Meta for using its facial recognition technology, which is now shut down, to collect and use for profit the biometric data of Texans without their consent.

According to Paxton, Meta gathered Texans’ biometric data without their consent ‘not hundreds, thousands, or millions of times—but billions of times,’ and all of these times, Meta violated Texas’ Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

In a statement, Paxton said, “Facebook will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being. This is yet another example of Big Tech’s deceitful business practices and it must stop. I will continue to fight for Texans’ privacy and security.”

Also, in a statement, a spokesperson for Meta said, “These claims are without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously.” Furthermore, Meta said that before the shut-down of the facial recognition technology, all users received a notice about the technology and had the choice to give their consent or not when using the facial recognition feature.

In the past, Meta used its facial recognition technology to scan uploaded photos and tag users automatically. In November 2021, Meta ended the use of its facial recognition technology due to concerns about how it could be used in the future.