A federal judge ruled on Friday (26) ended the 2015 lawsuit that alleged that the social network collected biometric data to identify faces, violating an Illinois law.
An American federal judge approved the $ 650 million payment by Facebook to end a privacy conflict with 1.6 million users in the state of Illinois.
The decision was taken last Friday (26), according to documents accessed by AFP news agency on Sunday.
Chicago attorney Jay Edelson filed the lawsuit in 2015, claiming that Facebook was illegally collecting biometric data to identify faces, violating an Illinois privacy law.
General Data Protection Law: see questions and answers
In January 2020, the company agreed to pay $ 550 million, after a failed attempt to settle the dispute, which became a class action lawsuit in 2018. Months later, in July, the judge of the case, James Donato, ruled that the value was insufficient.
During the trial, it was proven that Facebook stored users’ biometric data (digital scanners of their faces) without their consent. In 2019, the social network proposed that the facial recognition function be optional.
For Donato, the decision is historic and represents “an important victory for consumers, in the controversial scope of digital privacy. It is one of the largest agreements ever closed involving the violation of privacy”, he commented, noting that each plaintiff will receive at least US $ 345 as a concept of indemnity.
In 2019, Facebook even paid a record $ 5 billion fine to end an American government investigation into its privacy practices.
