Tech giant Google has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle allegations it illegally collected users' biometric data and tracked locations without consent, state officials announced Friday. This marks the largest data privacy settlement ever secured by a U.S. state against the company. 💻
What’s the Big Deal?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Google of harvesting voiceprints, facial geometry, and private search histories through services like Google Photos and Assistant. 'They were selling away our rights,' Paxton declared, framing the payout as a win against Big Tech overreach 🛑.
Google’s Response
The company called the claims 'old' and emphasized it had already updated policies. 'We’re resolving this to focus on building better privacy tools,' a spokesperson said. Notably, the settlement doesn’t require changes to Google’s current products. 🔄
Not Their First Rodeo 🤠
Texas previously scored a $700 million settlement from Google in 2023 over app store antitrust issues. Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent) also paid $1.4 billion last year over similar biometric data claims. Critics say these fines are ‘costs of doing business’ for tech giants.
Texas hasn’t disclosed how it’ll spend the funds, leaving many asking: Will this cash actually protect privacy? 🤔
