Latest news with #TexasLawsuit
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Google agrees to pay Texas $1.375bn over data-privacy claims
Google has agreed to pay $1.375bn in a settlement in principle reached with the state of Texas over allegations the company violated users' data privacy, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Friday. The agreement settles two lawsuits that covered three products for allegedly violating Texas consumer protection laws. 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law. For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won,' said Paxton in a statement. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. The Texas attorney general did not say how the money would be used. Google said the agreement settles claims encompassing Incognito mode, location history and biometrics-related allegations. The company did not admit any wrongdoing. 'This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product policies we have long since changed,' said a statement from José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson. 'We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services.' Paxton sued Google twice in 2022, alleging that it had collected from Texas residents records of their face geometry and voiceprints without obtaining proper consent. He also alleged the company tracked users' location even when they thought they had disabled the feature and misled users about Incognito mode, which is meant to provide private browsing. The settlement does not require product changes, according to a Google spokesperson. Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, agreed last year to pay $1.4bn to settle with Paxton over allegations it unlawfully collected and used facial recognition data.
Asharq Al-Awsat
10-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Google Will Pay Texas $1.4 Billion to Settle Claims the Company Collected Users' Data without Permission
Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected users' data without permission, the state's attorney general announced Friday. Attorney General Ken Paxton described the settlement as sending a message to tech companies that he will not allow them to make money off of 'selling away our rights and freedoms.' 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,' Paxton said in a statement. 'For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.' The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was 'unlawfully tracking and collecting users' private data.' Paxton claimed, for example, that Google collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through such products and services as Google Photos and Google Assistant. Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the agreement settles an array of 'old claims,' some of which relate to product policies the company has already changed. 'We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,' he said in a statement. The company also clarified that the settlement does not require any new product changes. Paxton said the $1.4 billion is the largest amount won by any state in a settlement with Google over this type of data-privacy violations. Texas previously reached two other key settlements with Google within the last two years, including one in December 2023 in which the company agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store. Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used users' biometric data without their permission.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ken Paxton says Google will pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle privacy suit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday announced that his office had reached a preliminary agreement to settle a privacy infringement lawsuit against Google for $1.4 billion. Paxton said the deal delivers a 'historic win' for Texans' data privacy and security rights. In 2022, Texas sued the tech giant, alleging it unlawfully tracked and collected users' private data including geolocation, incognito searches and biometric information. Paxton said the settlement, which must still be finalized between the parties, is the largest settlement any state has won against Google for similar data-privacy violations. 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,' Paxton said in a statement. 'For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.' Paxton's announcement made no mention of whether the settlement would force Google to change its business practices. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Google said in a statement that the settlement resolves a "raft of old claims" concerning product policies the company has "long since changed." The company said the preliminary settlement does not require Google to admit wrongdoing or liability and does not force the company to change any products or required disclosures to consumers. "We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,' said company spokesperson José Castañeda. This would be the second victory for Texas against a major tech corporation in as many years. Last year, the state secured a $1.4 billion settlement against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for unlawfully collecting residents' facial recognition data. In both cases, the attorney general's office hired outside law firms to represent the state. In the Google case, Paxton tapped Norton Rose Fulbright. The firm has three contingent-fee contracts with the state for Google litigation, meaning it would only get paid if Texas prevailed. The attorney general's office did not identify which contract the firm would be paid under for this case. The contracts specify that Norton Rose Fulbright would be paid in one of two ways: its billable hours times a multiplier of four, or a percentage of the total settlement, whichever is lesser. The percentage ranges between 10% and 27%, depending on the contract. The firm's percentage share of the settlement, if the $1.375 billion figure is approved by the parties, would be $137 million to $371 million. Disclosure: Facebook and Google have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google to pay Texas more than $1 billion in data privacy settlement
(KRON) — Google will pay the state of Texas $1.375 billion as part of a data privacy settlement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday. Paxton sued Google in 2022 after the company allegedly broke the law by tracking and collecting private data related to users' locations, incognito searches and biometric data. Paxton called the settlement 'a historic win for Texans' data privacy and security rights.' 'After years of aggressive litigation, Attorney General Paxton agreed to settle Texas' data-privacy claims against Google for an amount that far surpasses any other state's claims for similar violations,' a statement issued by Paxton's office reads. 'To date, no state has attained a settlement against Google for similar data-privacy violations greater than $93 million. Even a multistate coalition that included forty states secured just $391 million — almost a billion dollars less than Texas's recovery.' 'It was ugly.' Following systemwide BART outage, transit advocates raise red flags Paxton said that the lawsuit sends a message to tech companies that they will pay for abusing the public's trust. 'For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services,' Paxton said in a statement. 'I fought back and won.' In July, Paxton negotiated a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta for the company's alleged collection and use of facial-recognition data. Paxton also took part in a $700 million, multistate settlement regarding allegations that Google was illegally stifling the competition in its Android app store. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas secures $1.38 billion settlement with Google over data privacy
(Reuters) -Google has agreed to pay $1.375 billion in a settlement in principle reached with the state of Texas over allegations the company violated users' data privacy, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday. The agreement settles two lawsuits that covered three products for allegedly violating Texas consumer protection laws. 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law. For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won,' said Paxton in a statement. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. The Texas attorney general did not say how the money would be used. Google said the agreement settles claims encompassing Incognito, Location History and biometrics-related allegations. The company did not admit any wrongdoing. 'This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere, concerning product policies we have long since changed," said a statement from José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson. "We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services.' Paxton sued Google twice in 2022, alleging that it had collected from Texas residents records of their face geometry and voiceprints without obtaining proper consent. He also alleged the company tracked users' location even when they thought they had disabled the feature and misled users about Incognito mode, which is meant to provide private browsing. The settlement does not require product changes, according to a Google spokesperson. Meta Platforms , the owner of Facebook and Instagram, agreed last year to pay $1.4 billion to settle with Paxton over allegations it unlawfully collected and used facial recognition data.
