Google has reached an agreement to pay $1.375 billion to Texas as a resolution to two lawsuits that accused the tech giant of unlawfully tracking users’ private location data, incognito browsing habits, and biometric information such as voice and facial data.
These lawsuits were initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2022. In a similar vein, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, settled a lawsuit related to facial recognition for a comparable sum last year.
Paxton asserted that this settlement demonstrates that “Big Tech is not above the law” in Texas. He claimed Google’s practices involved covertly monitoring individuals’ movements, their private searches, and even capturing their voiceprints and facial geometry through its services. He described the outcome as a victory for consumer privacy rights.
This settlement is noted to be the largest monetary recovery by any state attorney general from Google concerning privacy law enforcement nationwide. Despite this significant financial settlement, a representative from Google stated the company does not acknowledge any wrongdoing or liability and will not need to alter its product offerings. Google spokesperson José Castañeda indicated that this settlement resolves a series of older claims, many of which have already been addressed in other jurisdictions, reflecting changes in their product policies.
Google previously achieved some legal victories in this and related cases, including a ruling from an appeals court that determined the company had insufficient ties to Texas to warrant a lawsuit. The company has contended that Paxton misrepresented their services, particularly noting that Google Photos only scanned faces to group similar images, without using the data for advertising purposes.
The settlement arrives amid broader antitrust decisions that have found Google engaging in illegal practices to sustain monopolies in search and advertising technologies, with proposed legal remedies that may include divesting parts of its Chrome browser. Google has signalled its intention to appeal these rulings.
Additionally, Paxton recently announced his intention to run against U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the upcoming mid-term elections, signalling his ambition to ascend further in political ranks while navigating significant legal battles against major tech companies.
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