Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to the U.S. state of Texas to resolve two lawsuits accusing the tech giant of unlawfully tracking users’ location and collecting facial recognition data without consent. This settlement is one of the largest of its kind, surpassing fines from previous cases.
In comparison, Google’s earlier settlements have been significantly smaller. In November 2022, the company paid $391 million to settle with 40 states, followed by $29.5 million in January 2023 to Indiana and Washington, and an additional $93 million to California in September 2023.
The Case Against Google
The lawsuits, filed in 2022, focused on the company’s unlawful practices in tracking user data. It was revealed that Google continued to track users’ locations and monitor their activities, even with the Location History setting turned off. The company was also accused of collecting biometric data, including facial recognition, without the users’ informed consent.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton emphasized the severity of the issue, stating, “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services.”
Impact on Privacy and Google’s Response
The $1.375 billion settlement marks a significant victory for privacy advocates in Texas, sending a message to tech companies that violating user trust comes at a steep price. Google has already begun taking steps to address privacy concerns, such as rolling out new privacy controls and allowing users to auto-delete location data when the Location History feature is enabled. Additionally, Google announced plans to store Maps Timeline data locally on users’ devices rather than on their Google accounts.
This settlement is part of a broader trend of increasing regulatory pressure on major tech companies. Google, alongside Meta, has faced heightened scrutiny over privacy violations. In fact, Meta paid a similar $1.4 billion fine to Texas for collecting biometric data from millions of users without consent. The ongoing investigations into Google also include antitrust concerns, with calls for the company to break up its business operations to satisfy regulatory demands.
