They will need to pay $1.4 billion.
Google has agreed to pay approximately $1.4 billion to the state of Texas to resolve claims that it violated residents’ data privacy rights, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Friday.
The settlement stems from lawsuits filed by Paxton in 2022, accusing the tech company of improperly tracking and collecting personal information from users.
According to Paxton, this resolution—covering two separate legal actions—represents the largest data privacy settlement ever reached between a state and Google, surpassing previous agreements other states have secured with the tech giant.
This deal comes less than a year after Texas reached a similarly sized $1.4 billion settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over alleged unauthorized use of users’ biometric data.
“Big Tech is not exempt from the rule of law in Texas,” Paxton said in a statement. “Google has, for years, covertly monitored individuals’ locations, search activity, voice data, and facial features through its platforms. I took action—and prevailed.”
He added that the $1.375 billion payout sends a strong message: “Companies that misuse consumer trust will be held accountable.”
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the company denies any admission of guilt or legal responsibility as part of the settlement. The agreement addresses allegations involving the Chrome browser’s incognito mode, location tracking disclosures in Google Maps, and biometric data handling in Google Photos.
Castaneda emphasized that Google is not required to modify any of its products under the terms of the agreement and that the changes at issue were previously introduced.
“This resolves a range of outdated claims, most of which have been addressed elsewhere and relate to product policies that have since been revised,” he said. “We’re glad to close this chapter and remain committed to developing strong privacy protections within our services.”
