Meta Settles for $1.4B with Texas Over Biometric Privacy Violations

Meta Platforms has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over claims of unauthorized biometric data collection via its "Tag Suggestions" feature. This feature used facial recognition to automatically identify and tag people in photos, a process that was activated without user consent or clear explanation.

According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, this practice violated a 2009 state statute governing the use of biometric data and the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Despite the significant settlement, the $1.4 billion is unlikely to make a dent in Meta’s business, given the company's substantial financial reserves.

Meta’s stock fell $4.06 to $461.65 on Tuesday, a decline of less than 1%.