Google has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to settle claims that it collected users’ data without permission, according to an announcement made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday. Paxton emphasized that the settlement sends a clear message to tech companies that they cannot profit by violating people’s rights and freedoms.
“In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,” Paxton stated. He accused Google of secretly tracking users’ movements, searches, voiceprints, and even facial geometry through its products and services, such as Google Photos and Google Assistant. Paxton’s office filed claims against Google in 2022, accusing the company of unlawfully collecting geolocation data, incognito search information, and biometric data.
A Google spokesperson, José Castañeda, clarified that the settlement addresses a range of older claims, some of which involve product policies that have already been changed by the company. He assured that the company is pleased to move forward and continue enhancing privacy features in its services. The settlement does not require any new changes to Google’s products.
Paxton pointed out that this settlement marks the largest amount ever secured by a state in a case involving data privacy violations with Google. Texas had previously reached two other significant settlements with Google, including a $700 million agreement in December 2023 over competition issues related to the Android app store.
Additionally, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, also reached a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over a privacy lawsuit related to the unauthorized use of users’ biometric data.
