Penalty Amount
$1,400,000,000
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a record-setting $1.4 billion settlement with Meta for unlawfully capturing and using the biometric data of millions of Texans, marking one of the largest privacy settlements in U.S. history.
Meta agreed to pay $1.4 billion and must comply with Texas biometric data laws, including reforms to its data collection and use practices.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor, customer, and data processing agreements that involve the collection, use, storage, or sharing of personal data, with a specific focus on biometric data (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprint scans). Key clauses to scrutinize include: 1) **Data Definition & Scope**: Ensure the contract's definition of 'personal data' or 'sensitive data' explicitly includes 'biometric identifiers' as defined under Texas law (CUBI). 2) **Consent Mechanisms**: Verify that clauses requiring explicit, informed, and affirmative consent for biometric data collection are present and align with CUBI's requirements. 3) **Data Processing & Sharing**: Review restrictions on processing biometric data and any permitted sharing with third parties, ensuring compliance with both CUBI and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA). 4) **Security & Breach Notification**: Confirm that data security obligations and breach notification timelines meet or exceed TDPSA standards. 5) **Audit & Compliance**: Assess whether the agreement grants the company rights to audit the vendor's compliance and includes indemnification for statutory violations. Changes may be needed to: (a) add or strengthen biometric-specific consent clauses; (b) restrict or prohibit biometric data processing unless absolutely necessary; (c) mandate compliance with Texas-specific privacy statutes; and (d) enhance audit and indemnity provisions to cover penalties under CUBI and TDPSA.
Entity
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Also known as: Meta
Industry
Social MediaOfficial Press Release
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-leads-nation-protecting-americans-data-privacy-and-security-big-tech
attorney general ken paxton secures 14 billion settlement me
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-14-billion-settlement-meta-over-its-unauthorized-capture
Texas Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/privacy
$1.0B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. requiring Meta to pay over $1 billion and implement significant new safeguards to protect children online. The settlement includes stricter age-assurance measures, a daily two-hour limit for teen users, default disabling of notifications during school hours, hidden likes/reactions, and a nighttime access mode restricting features for children.
$17.0B
Meta Platforms, Inc. agreed to a landmark $17 billion multistate settlement resolving claims that it intentionally designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that harmed youth mental health, and misled the public about platform safety. Virginia will receive a guaranteed $353 million, and Meta must implement extensive child-safety measures including daily time limits, age verification, and content restrictions.
$17.1B
Attorney General James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general secured a landmark settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) worth up to $17.1 billion to address the company's harmful and addictive features targeting minors on Facebook and Instagram. The settlement requires Meta to implement significant changes, including age verification, time limits for minors, restrictions on notifications, and options to opt out of algorithmic feeds, along with monetary payments to states for mental health and education programs.
A bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general, led by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, began trial against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Facebook and Instagram that drive children and teens to use the platforms compulsively, while falsely assuring parents and the public that its platforms were safe for young users. The states also allege Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA. The trial opened before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the states seeking monetary penalties and injunctive relief.
A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general led by New Jersey, California, Colorado, and Kentucky is taking Meta Platforms, Inc. to trial, alleging that Meta designed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook that harm minors' mental health, illegally collected data from children under 13 without the required protections under COPPA, and misled users about platform safety. Opening arguments begin August 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. No monetary penalty or final remedy has yet been imposed.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement marking the first day of trial in a multistate lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company knowingly designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that harm children's mental health. The coalition alleges Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA, and seeks monetary penalties, restitution, and an injunction against deceptive practices.