Facebook will pay $550 million to resolve claims it collected user biometric data without consent in one of the largest consumer privacy settlements in US history, according to a statement on Wednesday by lawyers for consumers.The accord, which requires a judge’s approval, will avert a trial that may have exposed the social networking company to billions of dollars in damages.
Facebook fought unsuccessfully to persuade the US Supreme Court to derail the class action case. The users alleged that the company’s photo-scanning technology violated an Illinois law by gathering and storing biometric data without their permission.
The settlement was disclosed to investors on a quarterly earnings call.
While Facebook has weathered controversy over privacy almost since its inception, the company has come under particularly harsh scrutiny in recent years, both in the US and in Europe.
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