Google hit with landmark $1.375 billion privacy settlement in Texas

Tech behemoth Google has agreed to a record-breaking $1.375 billion settlement with the state of Texas, ending a high-profile legal battle over alleged privacy violations involving the search engine’s data practices. The settlement marks the largest state-level penalty ever imposed on the company, dwarfing prior privacy settlements across the U.S.

The case, initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2022, accused Google of unlawfully tracking users’ locations, searches, and biometric data—such as voiceprints and facial geometry—through services like Chrome, Google Maps, and Google Photos, even when users believed they had opted out.

Paxton described the win as a defining moment in the fight to hold Big Tech accountable, saying: “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. I fought back and won.”

This is the second major victory for Paxton, following a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta last year over the unauthorized collection of biometric data on Facebook and Instagram.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda clarified that while the company is paying the settlement, it does not admit any wrongdoing. He emphasized that the claims cover outdated practices: “This settles a raft of old claims, many of which have already been resolved elsewhere… We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services.”

Adding to its legal woes, Google now faces legal action from the Mexican government over its labelling of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on its maps. This controversial change, originally stemming from an executive order by former U.S. President Donald Trump, is viewed by Mexican authorities as a misrepresentation of international waters.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed the lawsuit, stating that multiple requests were sent to Google to correct the labelling before legal steps were taken. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry argues that only the portion of the Gulf lying over the U.S. continental shelf could, at most, be referred to as the “Gulf of America.”

Trump’s executive order carries no legal authority outside U.S. borders, and international recognition of geographic names remains a diplomatic issue governed by multilateral norms, not unilateral declarations.