Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion to Texas to settle allegations that it was tracking users’ location even when the feature was disabled, tracking their internet activity in private browsing, and using their biometric data without consent, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced.
In January 2022, the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, Texas, Indiana, and Washington state filed lawsuits against Google, alleging that the internet giant makes it nearly impossible for users to stop their location from being tracked.
According to the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Paxton, even if a user turned location settings off, Google would use other means to track their geolocation, using the data to serve advertisements and make huge profits.
In May 2022, the lawsuit was amended to include private browsing, the web browser function also known as incognito mode that supposedly ensures that the users’ online activities are not tracked.
The amended filing claimed that Google was recording users’ internet search and activity history, for profits.
In October 2022, Attorney General Paxton filed another lawsuit against Google, claiming that the internet giant was collecting the biometric data of Texans without having obtained their informed consent.
Google has since updated its products and practices and made the required policy changes.
“This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product policies we have long since changed. We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told SecurityWeek.
The $1.375 billion settlement resolves the matters in both cases, with no admission of wrongdoing or liability.
“For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. This $1.375 billion settlement is a major win for Texans’ privacy and tells companies that they will pay for abusing our trust,” Attorney General Paxton said.
In July last year, Texas announced that Meta agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that it was using people’s biometric data without consent.
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