Google Settles $1.4 Billion Privacy Lawsuit in Texas
In a significant legal settlement, Google has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the State of Texas to resolve two lawsuits alleging violations of residents’ privacy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated the lawsuits in 2022, claiming the tech giant improperly tracked users’ locations and collected facial recognition data, in breach of state privacy laws and deceptive trade practices.
Paxton, who previously secured a similar $1.4 billion settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, emphasized that "Big Tech is not above the law." The lawsuits highlighted concerns regarding Google’s products like the Google Photos app, which allows users to search for particular individuals, and its proprietary features such as Google Assistant, which recognizes users’ voices.
In response to the settlement, Google spokesman José Castañeda stated that the company has already revised its product policies and views this settlement as addressing a series of legacy claims, many of which have been resolved in other contexts.
The case underscores a broader trend in which privacy issues have increasingly pitted major tech companies against regulators, especially in states like Texas and Washington. With a lack of comprehensive federal privacy legislation, states have enacted laws to limit the collection of biometric data, such as facial and voice recognition. Texas’ Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier law mandates explicit consent before implementing such features and allows the state to impose hefty fines for violations.
In addition to the biometric data claims, Paxton’s lawsuits accused Google of misleading users regarding location tracking features that continued to operate despite users’ attempts to disable them. This aspect of the lawsuit fell under Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act. As scrutiny of tech giants intensifies, Google’s latest settlement marks another setback in a series of legal challenges the company has faced in recent years.
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