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| Google headquarters at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California. The company has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle privacy lawsuits filed by the state of Texas. |
Google will pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to settle two lawsuits that accused the tech company of violating residents' privacy rights by collecting biometric data, tracking user locations and misrepresenting the privacy of its browsing tools.
The lawsuits, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2022, targeted Google’s collection of facial recognition data through services like Google Photos and devices such as Nest cameras and Google Assistant. Paxton also alleged that the company misled users by continuing to track location data even after users believed tracking had been disabled. A separate claim accused Google of falsely advertising its Incognito mode as a private browsing feature.
Texas invoked its biometric privacy law, which requires user consent before collecting or using facial or voice data. That law allows for significant financial penalties, up to $25,000 per violation. The case adds to growing pressure on tech companies to address privacy concerns in the absence of a comprehensive federal data privacy law.
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| Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the lawsuits against Google, alleging violations of state privacy and consumer protection laws. |
This settlement follows a similar $1.4 billion agreement last year between Texas and Meta over facial recognition practices. For Google, it marks another blow as the company continues to face antitrust scrutiny over its dominance in online advertising, app distribution, and search.
Google said it had already updated its product practices and described the settlement as resolving longstanding issues. Meanwhile, Texas officials emphasized that aggressive enforcement of privacy rights will continue.