Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday that Google has struck a settlement in principle with the state of Texas, agreeing to pay $1.375 billion for alleged data privacy violations. The deal resolves two lawsuits alleging that three items violated consumer protection laws in Texas.

According to Paxton in a statement

“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,” 

The settlement’s specifics were not made public. The use of the funds was not disclosed by the Texas attorney general. According to Google, the deal resolves disputes including fingerprints, location history, and incognito. No misconduct was acknowledged by the corporation.

In 2022, Paxton filed two lawsuits against Google, claiming that the company had improperly obtained authorization to collect voiceprints and facial geometry information from Texans. Additionally, he said that the firm misled customers about Incognito mode, which is intended to allow private surfing, and monitored users’ location even when they believed they had disabled the feature. 

A Google representative stated that no product modifications are necessary as part of the settlement. The owner of Facebook and Instagram, Meta Platforms, agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle with Paxton last year over claims that it improperly gathered and utilized facial recognition data.

Charges Made Against Google

The main focus of the accusations is Google illegal data harvesting, which includes tracking location even when users have turned off location settings and tracking browser activity while using Incognito Mode. Additionally, the lawsuit alleged that users’ biometric information, including voiceprints and facial geometry, was collected without their express agreement. There were worries that their privacy was being violated without their knowledge or consent because these practices were allegedly carried on even when users had disabled particular features.

Google’s Reaction and Settlement Conditions

Google accepted the deal in order to address the allegations, even though the tech company has not acknowledged any wrongdoing. The business highlighted that it had already revised its product policies to enhance customer privacy and that the settlement addressed out-of-date accusations. Although the deal imposes a significant financial penalty, it does not require any new modifications to Google’s products, including its data collection methods. The impacted parties will split the $1.38 billion settlement, though the precise distribution of the money has not been made public.