A $650 million settlement was approved by a federal judge in a lawsuit over Facebook’s photo-tagging technology back in 2015, due to this, Illinois Facebook users may be entitled to at least $345. In July 2020, the social media giant initially agreed to pay the record settlement following an Illinois class-action lawsuit. The facial recognition technology violated the state’s biometric privacy policy law. It allowed the residents to claim as much as $5000 if companies use the technology for data without the user’s consent.
Facebook told Fox Business in a statement, “We are pleased to have reached a settlement so we can move past this matter, which is in the best interest of our community and our shareholder.”
Facebook used the automatic photo recognition technology from 2015. When users uploaded photos with other users, the platform’s photo tagging tool showed the users’ names and made the process easier. To make things easier for Facebook users, the company added this feature to its photo upload. In September 2019, the social media giant updated the Facial recognition policy and added the user consent option to it.
Attorney Jay Edelson, in a tweet, celebrated the settlement, “One of the key takeaways is the Court’s laser focus on innovative notice and ensuring unprecedented claims rates.”
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