Meta agrees to $1.4 billion settlement with Texas
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram stands accused of using facial identification software without users' permission
What happened
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and other popular social networks, agreed on Tuesday to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the company's since-discontinued use of facial recognition software that collected users' data without permission.
Who said what
The "historic settlement" shows Texas' "commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights," Paxton said in a statement. Meta is "pleased to resolve this matter" and looks forward to "exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers," said a company spokesperson to Politico.
What next?
Meta is currently facing multiple lawsuits from various states over its products' allegedly harmful effects on children. Paxton's office is moving forward with a similar biometric-based lawsuit against Google's parent company, Alphabet.
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