Prime Highlights:
- Google paid Texas privacy lawsuits $1.375 billion, which was caused by illegal tracking of data without permission.
- The suit claimed Google violated state geolocation, incognito mode, and biometric data collection privacy statutes.
Key Facts:
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google in 2022 for illegal data collection.
- The settlement is the largest data privacy settlement with Google, and the tech giant has not admitted any wrongdoing.
- Google has since updated its product policies and insists the lawsuits have their basis in antiquated procedures.
Key Background:
Google was sued by Texas in 2022 for breach of state privacy legislation. Google was claimed in the suit to be secretly collecting data of users who did not know about it, including location, incognito browsing activity, and biometric data such as face recognition and voiceprints with services like Google Assistant and Google Photos. All this was claimed to have been carried out in violation of Google’s promise of a transparent privacy policy.
Part of the settlement of the lawsuits involved Google consenting to pay $1.375 billion, the biggest privacy settlement a state has ever gotten from Google. Google did not admit to wrongdoing, but the company did consent to settle in an attempt to prevent further lawsuits. Google stated the claims were based on outdated facts and that it had altered its policies since then to give more transparency and control to users of their data.
This settlement is one of a larger wave of increased scrutiny of technology firms’ data activities. Google also settled a similar suit in 2022 for $391.5 million with 40 states over location-tracking conduct. Facebook parent Meta Platforms also paid Texas $1.4 billion for exposing users to facial recognition technology without their permission.
While this deal does not compel Google to change product lines or provide further modifications, it is a wake-up call for players in the industry to prioritize consumer consent and data protection. It is a sign that regulatory pressure on the tech industry to prioritize consumer rights, as well as data transparency, will increase in the future. As changing public opinions and legal privacy protection evolve, companies are compelled in turn to impose tighter restrictions in order to keep pace with new laws and reassure user confidence.
