Google fined 1.4 billion dollars for privacy violation
Google Agrees to Pay Nearly $1.4 Billion to Settle Texas Privacy Violation Lawsuit
The Attorney General of Texas, USA, announced that Google has agreed to pay nearly $1.4 billion to settle a legal case involving allegations of privacy violations against users residing in the state.
According to a report by the International Economics Desk of Webangah News Agency, citing CNN, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated on Friday that Google reached the settlement to resolve accusations of illegally tracking user activities and collecting their private data.
Paxton had sued Google in 2022,alleging the company unlawfully monitored users’ movements,private searches,and even voice patterns and facial features through its products and services. He described this settlement—covering two separate lawsuits against the search giant and its mobile apps—as considerably larger than any previous privacy-related agreements between Google and other states.
The agreement comes roughly 10 months after paxton secured another $1.4 billion from Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) for Texas to resolve claims over unauthorized use of biometric data on those platforms.
In a statement on Friday, Paxton declared: “In Texas, big tech companies are not above the law.” He added: “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, even their voice and facial patterns through its products. I fought back—and won.” The $1.375 billion deal was hailed as a major victory for Texans’ privacy rights and a clear warning to corporations: “If you violate our trust, you will pay.”
José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson responded that the company admitted no wrongdoing or liability in settling claims related to Chrome’s incognito mode settings; location history displays in Google Maps; biometric allegations tied to Google Photos; among others. “We’re pleased these cases are resolved,” he said, “and we’ll continue focusing on improving privacy controls across our services.”
