Google will pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle data privacy violation lawsuits

Google will pay Texas $1.375 billion to settle lawsuits alleging data privacy violations. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Google, claiming unauthorized collection of user biometrics and location tracking. The settlement is reportedly the largest Google has paid for similar data privacy issues. Paxton stated Google secretly tracked user movements, searches, and biometric data. Google denied wrongdoing and claims the settlement covers old policies already changed. A Google spokesperson said features like facial scanning in Photos were for organization, not surveillance. The settlement requires no product changes from Google. Meta also recently paid Texas $1.4 billion for similar biometric data violations. Both settlements involved allegations of unauthorized data collection under Texas law. These cases highlight growing concerns regarding tech companies' handling of user data.