Meta has disabled augmented reality filters for Facebook and Instagram in Texas and Illinois due to facial recognition and privacy laws in those states.
Although Metathe parent company of Facebook and instagram, said its AR technology is “not facial recognition,” it is temporarily shutting down its AR filters and avatars in both states to avoid “baseless and distracting litigation.” The decision comes a day after a settlement was reached in an ACLU lawsuit filed in Illinois. against Clearview AI, a facial recognition company that sold its database to private companies.
Meta said it will create an opt-in experience to bring these AR effects back to its platforms soon. AR effects are also disabled on Messenger, Messenger Kids, Facebook, and Portal in Texas and Illinois.
The company claims that the technology it uses to create its AR effects and apps is not facial recognition technology and is not used for identification purposes.
“The technology we use to power augmented reality effects like avatars and filters is not facial recognition or any technology covered by the laws of Texas and Illinois, and is not used to identify who whatever,” Meta said in a statement. The company shut down your facial recognition system last year, erasing the face scan data of over a billion users.
Facebook has come under intense scrutiny over its facial recognition technology in recent years, with a judge awarding a historic $650 million settlement in favor of users in a class action lawsuit in Illinois last year. Texas is also sue the social media giant about his use of facial recognition technology, claiming he failed to properly obtain consent for biometric data from Texans, which violates state privacy laws.
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