Google Agrees to Pay Texas $1.4 Billion to Settle Allegations of Illegally Gathering Users' Data Without Consent
"Big Wins for Texas as Google Agrees to $1.375 Billion Settlement"
Google is Coupling Up with Texas for a Mind-Boggling $1.375 Billion! That's right, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a massive settlement with the tech titan, with Google promising to shell out a cool billion and some change to settle claims of shady data collection practices.
Paxton wasn't holding back when he stated, "In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law." He added, "Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won."
The agreement puts a stop to several allegations Texas hurled at Google in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data. The Lone Star State argued that Google was "unlawfully tracking and collecting users' private data."
For instance, Google reportedly collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through products like Google Photos and Google Assistant.
Google Spokesperson José Castañeda mentioned that the agreement settles "old claims," some of which relate to product policies the company has already altered. Castañeda added, "We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services."
The $1.375 billion settlement is the largest amount won by any state in a settlement with Google over these types of data-privacy violations. This isn’t the first time Texas has dished out the big bucks to Big Tech. Google previously agreed to a $700 million settlement with Texas in December 2023, and Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over similar claims.
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Google's significant settlement with Texas worth $1.375 billion, largely due to data privacy violations, highlights the tech giant's commitment to resolve past disputes, as seen in their previous agreement in December 2023. In light of this, it is implied that Google may explore business opportunities in locations like Seattle, a tech-savvy city, to distance themselves from such controversy and focus on technology advancements.
