Why would Facebook pay users $397
Illinois: Residents of the US state of Illinois are expected to receive 39 397 in compensation from Facebook this week.
According to a foreign news agency, the social networking site had agreed to pay a hefty 650 million to settle a class action privacy lawsuit filed in 2015.
The lawsuit alleges that Facebook was collecting and storing users’ biometric data without their consent.
The remaining 97.5 million, excluding lawyers’ fees and other expenses, will be distributed among Illinois Facebook users who have filed a lawsuit by December 2020.
The money will be paid to Illinois residents by Facebook for violating the state’s 2008 Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Under the Act, consumers can sue companies for violating their privacy by obtaining fingerprints, retina scans, facial geometry, etc. without permission.
The payment made by Facebook is the largest settlement ever under Illinois law.
The American Civil Liberties Union, using the Biometric Information Privacy Act, sought a settlement with the surveillance company, Claire View AI.
The company allegedly collected more than 10 billion fingerprints from online profiles around the world and sold them to its customers, including state and local police departments.
Facebook has been using facial recognition since 2010, which makes it easier to tag photos on social media platforms in less time.
