The Texas Attorney General is suing Facebook’s parent company, saying he collected biometric data about Texans for commercial purposes without their informed consent.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit Monday in the state district court. The lawsuit alleges that Facebook’s parent Meta “stored millions of biometric IDs” – identified as retina or iris scans, voice prints or hand and face geometry – contained in photos and videos uploaded by people to its services, including Facebook and Instagram.
“Facebook will no longer exploit people and their children in order to make a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being,” Paxton said in a statement. “This is another example of Big Tech’s misguided business practices and it must stop. I will continue to fight for the privacy and security of the Texans.”
The lawsuit coincided with the first day of early voting in the Texas primary, where Paxton is facing several GOP skeptics as his top lawmakers accused him of alleged corruption at the FBI.
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Paxton has opposed “Big Tech” – a common enemy of both Republicans and Democrats, even if their criticisms are not always aligned. Earlier, a Twitter investigation was launched into the banning of former President Donald Trump and he filed several lawsuits against Google.
Under Texas law, the lawsuit says, companies must obtain “informed consent” from people to use their biometric data. This means that people need to be informed before their biometric data is recorded and this can only be done if they agree to it. Such data can also not be disclosed to anyone else, although there are some exceptions, such as in cases where a law enforcement summons has been issued.
Use of artificial intelligence for the “Tag” function of friends
In a statement, a spokesman for Meta Platforms Inc., based in Menlo Park, California, said the lawsuit was “unfounded” and that the Texas law had never been enforced before.
The company said in November that it was ending the face recognition program and deleting most of its data.
Previously, the feature made templates with users’ faces and compared them to other photos and videos posted on the platform, which allowed Facebook to alert users when they appeared in someone else’s photo or video and prompted users to “tag” friends. and relatives that artificial intelligence recognized.
Facebook continues to use the system in a limited capacity, such as allowing users to access locked accounts and verify their identity for financial products.
Texas is asking the court to fine Meta $ 25,000 for each breach of the informed consent rule and $ 10,000 for each breach of the state’s deceptive commercial practices.
Meta, then known as Facebook, paid $ 650 million to settle a similar lawsuit over the use of photo tags and other biometric data in Illinois last year.
Musadiq Bidar contributed to the report.
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