Facebook Messenger, Messenger Kids Class Action to Move Forward

Meta Platforms Inc. will continue to face a putative class action alleging that its Facebook Messenger and Messenger Kids applications improperly collected and possessed biometric identifiers a federal court said.

The plaintiffs adequately alleged that Meta’s applications violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by claiming that Meta scanned users’ face geometries, and that these scans can identify the people from whom they were taken, Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel of the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois said in a Tuesday order denying a motion to dismiss.

Meta argued that the scans aren’t covered by BIPA because ...