Tesla settles privacy case while Amazon and Facebook are frozen in place with theirs

Of three recent turns in U.S. biometric privacy lawsuits, only one, a settlement, has much to do with privacy itself.

A case in the state of Washington involving Amazon’s alleged storage of people’s biometric data without the consent.

Amazon shareholders sued their board for inaction about the allegedly illegal storage. (They also sued over anti-trust concerns. Both issues allegedly harmed share prices.)

A U.S. district judge said the plaintiffs had not been persuasive in arguing that the directors should have known the company was doing something potentially illegal. They have been given 30 days to refine their argument.

Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court has put a temporary stay on a demand that Mark Zuckerberg take part in a deposition for a biometric privacy case filed against Meta by the state attorney general.

It’s hard to imagine how Zuckerberg’s testimony would swing the case. He’s proven skilled at giving safe statements under oath. A lower court will consider the stay in more depth.

Meta, via Facebook, is accused of commercializing face scans without consent. The company could face billions in damages.

And in the most consequential, if secret, biometric privacy development, Tesla has settled an Illinois suit. No substantive details are public because they were meted out in arbitration.

The case had been filed in state court, but the judge found that the plaintiffs had to abide by an arbitration agreement they signed when buying their cars.

The plaintiffs alleged that the biometric data of drivers was collected by their cars without consent. Tesla said its cameras and software do not perform facial recognition or identity verification.

Article Topics

Amazon  |  biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  data privacy  |  face biometrics  |  lawsuits  |  Meta  |  Tesla