Facebook is being sued for amassing the largest facial recognition data stash in the world
This data collection program led to its well-known automatic face tagging service. But, it also helped Facebook create "the largest privately held stash of biometric face-recognition data in the world," writes Courthouse News Service.
The lawsuit alleges that this facial recognition program violates the privacy of its users, citing an Illinois law called the Illinois Biometrics Information Privacy Acts, which requires companies to get written content from a user if it is collecting biometric data.
Further, according to the statute, the company must state the purpose and length of its data collection program.
The lead plaintiff, Carlo Licata, claims that Facebook's biometric program shows "brazen disregard for its users' privacy writes." He added that the way changing user settings will not change what biometric data the company collects, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Facebook has been under fire over this feature for years. It first began offering the tagging service through a technology from Israeli company Face.com, which Facebook then acquired in 2012.
A Senate hearing was held in 2012 to discuss this specific program. At the hearing, Facebook's Robert Sherman rebutted that the "tag suggestions" program is "merely a 'convenience feature' and that users' data is secure," according to the report.
Courthouse News Service writes:
The company's faceprint database works only with its own software, and "alone, the templates are useless bits of data," Sherman said. He said that users can opt out of the feature and their data will be deleted.
In 2012, Facebook stopped offering the facial recognition feature in Europe due to privacy concerns, according to the New York Times.
Facebook told the Chicago Tribune on April 1 that the lawsuit is "without merit." Business Insider reached out to Facebook for comment and will update if we hear back.
Licata's intention is to get a court injunction that requires Facebook to put a halt to the program.
- I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
- Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
- I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
- Bitcoin scam case: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 97 cr of Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty
- IREDA's GIFT City branch to give special foreign currency loans for green projects
- 8 Ultimate summer treks to experience in India in 2024
- Top 10 Must-visit places in Kashmir in 2024
- The Psychology of Impulse Buying