Facebook offered $ 650 million to pay a long-lasting class action lawsuit over the use of facial technology.
The final offer is $ 100 million more than the initial settlement, according to USA Today, and follows a rejection of the initial amount by a United States district judge earlier this year.
“We are focused on resolving ourselves, as it is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to overcome this issue,” Facebook said in a statement.
The case centers on three Illinois residents who sued the social media company under a state law called the Biometric Information Privacy Act, which allows residents to sue if their faces have been scanned for data without written consent.
Residents claim that Facebook’s built-in feature, which automatically suggests the names of people and friends in users’ photos, is a violation of privacy law.
In January, the initial settlement offer was set at $ 550 million and would have resulted in payments of $ 150 to $ 300 per person in Illinois affected by facial recognition technology. However, California District Judge James Donato said the payment was incredibly disappointing.
“It’s $ 550 million. That’s a lot. But the question is, is it really a lot?” Donato asked, according to NPR.
Law firms representing Facebook users rated the deal at the time as the largest cash settlement ever to come out of a privacy-related lawsuit.
The type of facial recognition software found on the Facebook platform has generated more controversy amid protests over police brutality. Companies like Amazon, IBM and Microsoft have made great strides to suspend or limit police access to technology.
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