WEBDESK: Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle a major lawsuit filed by the state of Texas. The Google lawsuit accused the company of violating privacy laws by collecting user data without proper consent.
The lawsuits were filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2022, claiming Google had violated state privacy and consumer protection laws through data practices involving Incognito mode, Location History, and biometric information.
“In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,” Paxton said in a statement. “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry. I fought back and won.”
The Google lawsuit also highlighted concerns with Google’s “Incognito Mode.” Users believed their browsing activity was private, but the lawsuit said Google continued tracking their data.
Although Google has agreed to the settlement, the company has not admitted to any wrongdoing. A Google spokesperson said the settlement resolves old claims and that the company has already made updates to give users more control over their data. They also said Google is committed to improving privacy protections.
“This agreement allows us to move forward and continue building robust privacy controls into our services,” said Google spokesperson José Castañeda.
This Google lawsuit is considered one of the largest privacy-related settlements by any U.S. state. It follows a similar case last year in which Meta (Facebook’s parent company) paid $1.4 billion over facial recognition issues in Texas.
Texas officials have not yet detailed how the funds from the Google settlement will be used.
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