For an American court, Facebook has invaded the privacy of users with facial recognition

US justice ruled against Facebook and a California district court determined that the use of the facial recognition technology without the consent of users, "it invades the private affairs of individuals" and considers that it can be an injury.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco spoke out in favor of a group of Illinois students who accused the social network of violating state law and its biometric information law. .

The judge rejected the arguments put forward by the company to stop a clbad action alleging that she had illegally collected and stored the biometric data of millions of users.

The complaint began in 2015, when a group of Facebook users based in Illinois denounced the use of facial recognition technology in automatic labeling. The platform identifies people even in photos that they have not tagged on.

The complainants point out that Facebook uses facial recognition its automatic labeling without revealing the use of this biometric technology to users nor obtain their consent.

"We conclude that the development of a biometric database using a consent-free facial recognition technology impinges on the private affairs and the specific interests of an individual," Judge Sandra Ikuta said.

Facebook will appeal the decision. "We have always revealed our use of facial recognition technology and that people can turn it on or off at any time," said a company spokesman at the agency. Reuters.

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According to the American Civil Rights Union (ACLU), complainants can continue the judicial process Clbad action against Mark Zuckerberg's company.

The law of Illinois imposes protections against companies that collect biometric information without the knowledge of the user, without their consent, including facial recognition.

The law on the confidentiality of biometric information establishes a compensation of between $ 1,000 and $ 5,000 for each applicant for the violation of privacy and the damages produced. according to Reuters, the affected people could reach up to seven million users.

"This decision constitutes a strong recognition of the dangers badociated with the unrestricted use of facial surveillance technology," said Nathan Freed Wessler, Spokesperson, Speech, Privacy and Technology Project Counsel for the ACLU.

"The ability to instantly identify and track people according to their face increases the frightening possibility of privacy breaches on an unprecedented scale." Companies and the government are aware that this technology represents a huge risk to consumers. people, "added Wessler.