Google has agreed to pay the U. S. state of Texas nearly$ 1. 4 billion to settle two lawsuits that accused the business of tracking consumers ‘ personal site and maintaining their facial recognition files without consent.
The$ 1. 375 billion transaction dwarfs the charges the software giant has paid to sit similar lawsuits brought by another U. S. state. In November 2022, it paid$ 391 million to a group of 40 state. In January 2023, it paid$ 29. 5 million to Indiana and Washington. After that September, it forked out another$ 93 million to live with California.
The case, originally filed in 2022, related to unlawful tracking and collection of user data, regarding , incognito requests, and , tracking consumers ‘ movements even when the Place History building was disabled and collecting the without informed consent.
” For decades, Google quietly tracked people’s actions, personal requests, and even their voiceprints and physical shape through their products and services,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement.
” This$ 1. 375 billion settlement is a big win for Texans ‘ protection and tells organizations that they will pay for abusing our faith. “
Last month, Google plans to save Maps Timeline data directly on users ‘ products instead of their Facebook accounts. The company has also rolled out another privacy controls that allow users to auto-delete location info when the Place History environment is enabled.
The payment also rivals a$ 1. 4 billion fine that Meta paid Texas to settle a lawsuit over allegations that it illegally collected the biometric data of millions of users without their permission.
The development comes at a time when Google is the of intense regulatory scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, facing calls to break up parts of its business to satisfy antitrust concerns.