The Texas attorney general is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, alleging that it collected biometric data from Texans for commercial purposes without their consent.
The attorney general, Ken Paxton, filed the lawsuit Monday in state district court.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta has been storing millions of biometric identifiers, such as retina or iris scans, voice prints, or a geometry record of hands and faces, content in photos and videos that people uploaded to company services, including Facebook and Instagram.
“Facebook will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intention of making a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being. This is yet another example of deceptive business practices by technology companies and it needs to end. I will continue to fight for the privacy and security of Texans,” Paxton said, according to CBS.
Previously, Paxton launched a Twitter investigation into the termination of former President Donald Trump’s account and filed several lawsuits against Google.
Under Texas law, companies must obtain consent from individuals to use their biometric data. This means that people must be informed before their biometric data is captured and it can only be done if they agree.
Such data cannot be disclosed to anyone else either, although there are some exceptions, such as in cases where a police citation was issued.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Meta, based in Menlo Park, California, said the lawsuit was baseless and that the Texas law in question had never been enforced in the past.
The company said in November it would shut down its facial recognition program and would delete most of your data.
Previously, the feature created templates of users’ faces and compared them to other photos and videos posted on the platform, allowing Facebook to notify users when they appeared in someone else’s photo or video and invite them to tag friends and family that intelligence artificial agency identified.
Texas is asking the court to fine Meta $25, for each violation of the informed consent rule and $10,000 for each violation of the state deceptive trade practices law.
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