Google Reaches $1.375 Billion Settlement with Texas Over Privacy Violations

Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle two lawsuits brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over alleged violations of consumer privacy laws. The lawsuits accused Google of illegally collecting users' location data, voiceprints, and facial recognition data through services such as Incognito mode, Location History, and biometric tracking features.

Paxton stated that Google secretly tracked users’ movements, search histories, and biometric data without proper consent, in violation of Texas law. “In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,” said Paxton, celebrating the victory as a significant step in holding tech giants accountable.

Filed in 2022, the lawsuits alleged that Google misled users about the privacy protections of Incognito mode, continued tracking locations despite user-disabled settings, and harvested biometric data from Texans without explicit consent.

Though the settlement amount is among the largest ever related to data privacy, details on how the funds will be used have not been disclosed. Google did not admit to any wrongdoing but confirmed the agreement resolves multiple claims, many of which were already settled in other jurisdictions.

“We’re pleased to resolve these matters and continue building privacy protections into our services,” said Google spokesperson José Castañeda, noting that the company has since updated its policies.

Importantly, the settlement does not require Google to implement additional product changes, focusing instead on financial restitution.

This development follows Meta Platforms’ $1.4 billion settlement with Texas last year over similar facial recognition data concerns, marking another major case in an ongoing crackdown on tech companies’ data practices.