The state of Texas on Monday sued Facebook's parent company Meta over privacy protection issues stating that its facial recognition system collected biometric data of citizens without their consent.

The Texas lawsuit alleged that Facebook captured biometric information from photos and videos without the users' consent as Attorney General Ken Paxton said it was an example of "big tech’s deceitful business practices".

However, Meta spokesperson said the "claims are without merit" while vowing to "defend itself vigorously".&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/facebooks-ai-reality-scroll-images-on-a-computer-screen-by-just-thinking-about-it-371594">Also Read in Pics |&nbsp;Facebook's AI reality: Scroll images on a computer screen by just thinking about it</a>

Mark Zuckerberg's company&nbsp;had declared last year that it would be shutting down its facial recognition system and would delete people's information. Two years ago it had agreed to pay $650 million in a similar privacy case. It was said to be the largest ever settlement of a privacy lawsuit at the time.

The Illinois lawsuit was filed in 2015 over Facebook's photo-tagging feature as it used the facial recognition system&nbsp;as attorney Edelson asserted that "biometrics along with geolocation were the two primary battlegrounds".

Watch:&nbsp;Facebook reports a decline in daily active users

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In a similar move, the Texas lawsuit said Facebook had captured biometric identifiers of Texans "without consent not hundreds, or thousands, or millions of times but billions of times."

“Facebook will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being,” Paxton said.

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Facebook has been under fire over various issues. Last year whistleblower Frances Haugen had alleged that adults perceive Facebook content as "boring, misleading, and negative" after she leaked documents highlighting the social network's effect on teens and users' well-being. Facebook however dismissed Haugen's charges.

(With inputs from Agencies)

The state of Texas on Monday sued Facebook's parent company Meta over privacy protection issues stating that its facial recognition system collected biometric data of citizens without their consent.

The state of Texas on Monday sued Facebook's parent company Meta over privacy protection issues stating that its facial recognition system collected biometric data of citizens without their consent. The Texas lawsuit alleged that Facebook captured biometric information from photos and videos without the users' consent as Attorney General Ken Paxton said it was an example of "big tech’s deceitful business practices". However, Meta spokesperson said the "claims are without merit" while vowing to "defend itself vigorously". Also Read in Pics | Facebook's AI reality: Scroll images on a computer screen by just thinking about it Mark Zuckerberg's company had declared last year that it would be shutting down its facial recognition system and would delete people's information. Two years ago it had agreed to pay $650 million in a similar privacy case. It was said to be the largest ever settlement of a privacy lawsuit at the time. The Illinois lawsuit was filed in 2015 over Facebook's photo-tagging feature as it used the facial recognition system as attorney Edelson asserted that "biometrics along with geolocation were the two primary battlegrounds". Watch: Facebook reports a decline in daily active users In a similar move, the Texas lawsuit said Facebook had captured biometric identifiers of Texans "without consent not hundreds, or thousands, or millions of times but billions of times." “Facebook will no longer take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being,” Paxton said. Also Read in Pics | From Instagram to Whatsapp: Victims of Facebook's 'buy and bury' strategy Facebook has been under fire over various issues. Last year whistleblower Frances Haugen had alleged that adults perceive Facebook content as "boring, misleading, and negative" after she leaked documents highlighting the social network's effect on teens and users' well-being. Facebook however dismissed Haugen's charges. (With inputs from Agencies)

'Deceitful business': Texas sues Meta's Facebook over facial recognition system

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use".

The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people. The process is likely to be completed by December.

The social media giant informed that over a third of Facebook's users had opted for the facial recognition setting on its platform. The company has been under fire in recent years over privacy concerns and data leaks.

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"There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use,"&nbsp;parent company Meta said, adding, "amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate," it added.

Watch:&nbsp;Whistleblower Frances Haugen denounces Facebook's Meta rebranding

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Facebook's vice president Nick Clegg had said on Monday that the company had made changes to its policies since 2014 while acknowledging that&nbsp;"legitimate questions" have been raised over its work in "fragile" countries.&nbsp;

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Frances Haugen, 37, the former Facebook engineer had earlier leaked data as she&nbsp;accused&nbsp;the company of fuelling hate.

"It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," Haugen told British lawmakers. "Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook," the Facebook whistleblower said.

Haugen also accused the company of putting profits before safety.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-big-facebook-leak-423804">Also Read:&nbsp;Inside the big Facebook leak</a>

"I think it is unlikely the company will change if [Mark Zuckerberg] remains the CEO," she said as she asked the Facebook founder to step down during a&nbsp;web summit.

Facebook had rebranded itself last week naming the company Meta as it sought to focus on "metaverse".

(With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use". The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people.

Facebook said today it will be shutting its facial recognition system amid uncertainty over a "clear set of rules governing its use". The company said the move will delete "facial recognition templates" of over 1 billion people. The process is likely to be completed by December. The social media giant informed that over a third of Facebook's users had opted for the facial recognition setting on its platform. The company has been under fire in recent years over privacy concerns and data leaks. Also Read | Facebook is failing to safeguard users from COVID-19 disinformation: Research "There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use," parent company Meta said, adding, "amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate," it added. Watch: Whistleblower Frances Haugen denounces Facebook's Meta rebranding Facebook's vice president Nick Clegg had said on Monday that the company had made changes to its policies since 2014 while acknowledging that "legitimate questions" have been raised over its work in "fragile" countries. Also Read: Facebook asks staff to preserve records dating back to 2016 amid inquiries Frances Haugen, 37, the former Facebook engineer had earlier leaked data as she accused the company of fuelling hate. "It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," Haugen told British lawmakers. "Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook," the Facebook whistleblower said. Haugen also accused the company of putting profits before safety. Also Read: Inside the big Facebook leak "I think it is unlikely the company will change if [Mark Zuckerberg] remains the CEO," she said as she asked the Facebook founder to step down during a web summit. Facebook had rebranded itself last week naming the company Meta as it sought to focus on "metaverse". (With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook decides to shut its facial recognition system

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'Deceitful business': Texas sues Meta's Facebook over facial recognition system

Facebook decides to shut its facial recognition system