The Lone Star State just roped in one of Silicon Valley’s biggest cattle—Google. After years of accusations that the tech behemoth secretly hoarded user data, Texas has wrangled a $1.375 billion settlement out of the search giant in what’s being touted as one of the largest privacy-related agreements in state history.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, never one to shy away from a courtroom brawl, declared the settlement a win against “Big Tech arrogance,” claiming Google had been quietly collecting everything from users’ whereabouts to their faceprints and voice samples—without proper consent.
“For years, they tracked where you went, what you said, even how your face looked—and they did it behind your back,” Paxton said. “We didn’t just call them out. We made them pay.”
While Google is forking over the cash, it’s not waving a white flag. The company issued a statement distancing itself from any admission of guilt, framing the deal as a way to close the books on “long-resolved” issues. “We’ve updated our policies years ago, and this clears out old allegations so we can move forward,” a spokesperson said.
The agreement ties up two lawsuits filed in 2022 over three Google products: Incognito mode, Location History, and biometric data tools. Paxton had accused the company of misleading users about how private Incognito mode really was, and of collecting sensitive data—like facial geometry and voiceprints—without clearly asking for permission.
Despite the massive payout, Google won’t have to change any of its current products or services. The exact breakdown of how Texas will use the money? Still under wraps.
For context, this isn’t the first billion-dollar bruising in Paxton’s tech crusade. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, struck a $1.4 billion deal with Texas last year over similar claims involving facial recognition.
So while Silicon Valley might still be standing, the message from Texas is loud and clear: don’t mess with its data—or expect to walk away unscathed.
