Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is compelled to participate in a deposition as part of an ongoing lawsuit in Texas centered around the company’s facial recognition technology.
Justice Jeff Rambin of Texas’s Sixth Court of Appeals issued a ruling on Tuesday, rejecting Meta’s petition to be excused from the oral deposition, without specifying the deposition date.
The lawsuit, initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in February 2022, alleges that Meta unlawfully gathered and utilized the biometric data of millions of Texans without obtaining proper informed consent.
The legal action also accuses Meta of violating the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by withholding crucial information, including the collection of biometric identifiers, with the alleged intention of inducing Texas Facebook users into using the platform.
The state of Texas argued in Tuesday’s ruling that Zuckerberg possesses unique personal knowledge relevant to the lawsuit, claiming that Meta violated state laws related to the collection of biometric data and engaged in deceptive trade practices.
This legal saga follows Meta’s $650 million settlement in 2021 concerning a facial recognition-related class-action lawsuit.
Attorneys involved in the case labeled it as one of the “largest settlements ever for a privacy violation,” ensuring a substantial compensation, with at least $345 going to each interested class member.
As of now, Meta has not responded to requests for comments on the recent developments in the Texas lawsuit.
