It's by far the largest such settlement with a single state
of ConsumerAffairs-
Texas has reached a landmark $1.375 billion settlement with Google, the largest ever obtained by a single state for data privacy violations.
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The settlement resolves Texass 2022 lawsuit accusing Google of unlawfully tracking user location, incognito browsing, and biometric data.
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The recovery far surpasses any previous individual state settlement with Google, underscoring the state's aggressive legal stance on Big Tech accountability.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a $1.375 billion settlement in principle with Google, resolving claims that the tech giant illegally harvested and exploited users' private data. The agreement marks the largest state-level data privacy settlement in U.S. history.
The legal battle stems from a 2022 lawsuit in which Texas accused Google of secretly tracking users geolocation, recording incognito browsing activity, and collecting biometric identifiers like voiceprints and facial geometry allegedly without adequate consent or transparency. The suit claimed that Googles actions violated Texass consumer protection and biometric privacy laws.
For years, Google secretly tracked peoples movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry, Paxton said in a statement. This $1.375 billion settlement is a major win for Texans privacy and tells companies they will pay for abusing our trust.
The deal dwarfs similar settlements obtained by other states. While a coalition of 40 states secured a $391 million multistate deal over similar violations, and no individual state has previously extracted more than $93 million, Texass recovery stands nearly a billion dollars above the next closest agreement.
'Old claims,' Google says
Google spokesperson Jos Castaeda said the agreement settles an array of old claims, some of which relate to product policies the company has already changed.
We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services, he said in a statement, according to an Associated Press report.
The settlement follows a string of major Big Tech settlements. In July 2023, Texas secured a $1.4 billion settlement from Meta (formerly Facebook) for unlawful use of facial recognition data. The attorney general has also previously won $700 million and $8 million in settlements from Google for anticompetitive and deceptive practices.
Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used users biometric data without their permission.
Details regarding the disbursement or use of the $1.375 billion have not yet been announced, though it is expected to include restitution and funding for ongoing privacy protection initiatives.
Posted: 2025-05-14 14:42:28
