Illinois Facebook Lawsuit
The Facebook biometric settlement refers to a legal agreement that Facebook reached in January 2020 to pay $550 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of facial recognition technology without users’ consent.
The settlement came as a result of a lawsuit filed against the social media giant in 2015, which alleged that Facebook’s facial recognition technology violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and storing biometric data without users’ permission. The settlement was one of the largest in US history for a privacy violation case, and it marked an important milestone in the ongoing debate over the use of biometric technology by tech companies.
Here are a few key facts to know about the Facebook biometric settlement:
- The $550 million settlement was split between the more than 1.6 million people who were part of the class-action lawsuit, with each eligible user receiving a payout of roughly $345.
- In addition to the monetary payout, Facebook also agreed to implement certain changes to its facial recognition technology, including obtaining users’ explicit consent before collecting or storing biometric data.
- The settlement was part of a larger trend of increased scrutiny over the use of biometric technology by tech companies, with several other companies facing similar lawsuits and regulatory action in recent years.
- While some have hailed the settlement as a victory for privacy advocates and a warning to tech companies about the dangers of overstepping privacy boundaries, others have criticized the relatively small payout given to individual users and the fact that Facebook did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
Overall, the Facebook biometric settlement serves as an important reminder of the need for strong privacy protections in the age of big data and emerging technologies like facial recognition.
