Texas Settles for $1.375 Billion with Google in Data Privacy Case

Published 1 hours agoGOOGL

Texas Settles for $1.375 Billion with Google in Data Privacy Case

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a significant $1.375 billion settlement with Google. The agreement was reached over allegations concerning Google's data privacy practices, specifically related to biometric data collection. This settlement forms part of continuing efforts to hold tech companies accountable for privacy standards.

This legal move traces back to a lawsuit filed by Texas in 2022. The state accused Google of gathering biometric data, such as voiceprints and facial geometry, from services including Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max, without acquiring proper consent from users. Reuters reported that these accusations underline a consistent trend of stringent data privacy enforcement against tech giants.

This settlement with Google is not an isolated case. It parallels another substantial agreement from July 2024, where Meta settled for $1.4 billion with Texas under similar allegations of unauthorized biometric data collection. These cases reflect a broader strategy by states to enhance scrutiny and enforce data privacy laws more rigorously on technology companies.

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