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Texas AG sues Facebook parent Meta over facial recognition



Texas Attorney General sued Facebook parent MetaHe said the company illegally collects biometric data on Texans for commercial purposes without their informed consent.

Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the case in a state district court Monday. Meta It stores “millions of biometric identifiers,” defined as retinal or iris scans, sound prints, or hand and face geometry recordings, in photos and videos people upload to its services. Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook “It will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intent to profit at the expense of the person’s safety and well-being,” Paxton said in a statement. “This is another example of Big Tech’s deceptive business practices and it needs to stop. I will continue to fight for the privacy and safety of Texans.”

The filing of the lawsuit coincided with the first day of early voting in a Texas primary election, where Paxton faced several GOP opponents after senior lawmakers reported him to the FBI on corruption allegations.

Paxton opposes “Big Tech,” a common foe for Republicans and Democrats alike, though his criticisms don’t always coincide. He previously launched an investigation over Twitter’s ban on former President Donald Trump and filed several lawsuits against Google.

The lawsuit says that under Texas law, companies must obtain “informed consent” from people to use their biometric data. This means that people must be informed before their biometric data is received, and this can only be done if they agree. Such data cannot be disclosed to anyone else, although there are some exceptions, such as a law enforcement subpoena.

In a statement, Meta Platforms Inc.Headquartered in Melo Park, California, it described the case as “unfair”.

The company said it shut down its facial recognition program in November and deleted its data.

Texas seeks punishment from court Meta $25,000 for each violation of the informed consent rule and $10,000 for each violation of the state’s deceptive trade practices law.

Metathen called FacebookIt paid $650 million last year to settle a similar lawsuit in Illinois over the use of photographic face-tagging and other biometric data.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC.





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