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Google has agreed to pay the state of Texas $ 1.375 billion to root two lawsuits incriminate the company of chase drug user ’ personal emplacement , incognito searches , and vox and facial data without their permission .
The causa were brought by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton in 2022 . Facebook ’s parent companyMeta agreed to give a like amountto square off a facial realisation - tie in cause from Paxton last yr .
“ In Texas , Big Tech is not above the jurisprudence , ” Paxton say ina statement . “ For years , Google secretly go after multitude ’s movements , individual searches , and even their voiceprint and facial geometry through their product and services . I fought back and gain . ”
Paxton ’s office also said this is the “ highest recovery nationwide against Google for any attorney superior general ’s enforcement of state privacy law . ”
A Google spokesperson sound out the company is settle the lawsuits without any admission of wrongful conduct or liability , and without having to change any of its products .
“ This settles a muckle of old claims , many of which have already been resolved elsewhere , concerning mathematical product insurance policy we have long since deepen , ” say spokesperson José Castañeda in a statement . “ We are pleased to put them behind us , and we will continue to construct robust concealment controls into our services . ”
Google pull ahead some earliest triumph in these courting — for example , with an appeals Margaret Court rule thatthe company lack sufficient ties to Texasto present a lawsuit there . The companionship had ab initio responded by sayingPaxton mischaracterized its products“in another breathless lawsuit ” — for instance , the caller say Google Photos only scanned users ’ faces in ordering to group similar photos together and that it did not use the feature for advert .
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The settlement comes after major antitrust ruling finding that Google acted illegally to assert Monopoly inweb searchandadvertising tech , with purport remedies , let in the divestment of Chrome . ( Google has say it will appeal both rulings . )
Paxton , meanwhile , lately announced that he willchallenge U.S. Senator John Cornynin next class ’s midterm exam election .
