Texas reaches ‘record’ settlement with Meta over facial recognition software [Video]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that the state has reached a settlement with social media giant Meta over its use of facial recognition technology.

Paxton described the $1.4 billion agreement as the “largest settlement ever obtained from an action brought by a single state.” The $1.4 billion agreement will be paid by Meta over the course of five years.

Meta does not have to admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

Texas first sued Meta in 2022, claiming the company violated the state’s “Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier” Act. Paxton’s office said that Meta used facial recognition technology that would make it easier for users to “tag” photographs with the names of users.

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Paxton’s office claimed that Meta turned this feature on without explaining how the feature worked and that the company ran facial recognition capturing the facial geometry of those photographed.

The Attorney General’s Office …