Having trouble finding that certain Instagram filter you love so much? Do you live in Texas? That filter may be one of the filters that Texas has banned.

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Texas joins Illinois in banning certain facial recognition filters.

Banned in Texas

According to a report from KXAN, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Meta saying that the company, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, are using facial recognition technology with certain filters and that violates Texas law. The lawsuit also alleges that the facial recognition technology was being used without the user's permission.

The lawsuit was filed in February of 2022.

Meta Responds

Meta says the facial recognition technology that was used to automatically recognize if people’s faces appeared in memories, photos or videos was discontinued in November of 2021, just a few months prior to Paxton's lawsuit.

Meta would go on to discontinuing some filters in both Texas and Illinois.

Meta sent a statement to KXAN saying,

“The technology we use to power augmented reality effects like avatars and filters is not facial recognition or any technology covered by the Texas and Illinois laws, and is not used to identify anyone.  Nevertheless, we are taking this step to prevent meritless and distracting litigation under laws in these two states based on a mischaracterization of how our features work. We remain committed to delivering AR experiences that people love, and that a diverse roster of creators use to grow their businesses, without needless friction or confusion.”

Meta says they plan to introduce a new opt-in AR effect and hopes to resume distribution in both Texas and Illinois.

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