Google has reached a $1.375 billion settlement with the state of Texas to resolve two lawsuits alleging the unauthorized collection and use of users geolocation and biometric data, according to The Hacker News.
The lawsuits, filed in 2022, accused Google of continuing to track users movements even when location services were disabled, and of collecting facial and voice data without informed consent. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated the companys actions included tracking users incognito activity and biometric identifiers such as facial geometry and voiceprints through its various platforms and services. This settlement is the largest Google has agreed to in state-led privacy lawsuits and surpasses earlier multi-state and individual state settlements, including a $391 million payment to 40 states and separate agreements with Indiana, Washington, and California. It also mirrors a $1.4 billion biometric data settlement between Texas and Meta. Google has since introduced privacy measures like storing Maps Timeline data locally and offering automatic location data deletion.
The lawsuits, filed in 2022, accused Google of continuing to track users movements even when location services were disabled, and of collecting facial and voice data without informed consent. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated the companys actions included tracking users incognito activity and biometric identifiers such as facial geometry and voiceprints through its various platforms and services. This settlement is the largest Google has agreed to in state-led privacy lawsuits and surpasses earlier multi-state and individual state settlements, including a $391 million payment to 40 states and separate agreements with Indiana, Washington, and California. It also mirrors a $1.4 billion biometric data settlement between Texas and Meta. Google has since introduced privacy measures like storing Maps Timeline data locally and offering automatic location data deletion.
