AG Paxton of Texas Makes Google Pay Over $1B for Privacy Violations

The great state of Texas is making Google pay for violating the privacy rights of its residents. The world’s most popular search engine has agreed to settle the lawsuit brought against it by the southern red state with an amount exceeding $1 billion.

The announcement of people’s victory in the lawsuit came on October 31 in a press release by the office of Texan Attorney General Ken Paxton. The release notified the public of a historic $1.375 billion settlement agreement that Google will pay Texas for illegally tracking and collecting private data of users. The abuses for which AG Paxton sued Google included the tech’s collection of geolocation, incognito browsing activity, and biometric identifiers data.

Paxton, a firebrand conservative, issued a warning to tech companies in no uncertain terms when he stated upon securing the settlement:

“If Big Tech thinks they can get away with abusing user data and illegally spying on Texans without consequences, I will make sure they are proven wrong. This monumental settlement is a testament to my office’s commitment to taking on the biggest companies in the world and securing victory on behalf of Texans.”

This is not the first time AG Paxton has taken on Google and made it pay for abusing its popular platform. In May 2023, his office announced an $8 million settlement with Google for the deceptive advertisements that Google ran to promote its Pixel 4 smartphone. In December 2023, Google settled another lawsuit brought against it by Attorneys General of all U.S. states who sued the tech giant for engaging in anticompetitive practices. The settlement cost Google $700 million and AG Paxton’s office claimed the credit for leading this fight. Paxton was cited in the press release following the settlement:

“Texas has led the nation in the fight to hold giant tech companies accountable for monopolistic activity. I am proud that this settlement brought together so many states who recognized the importance of protecting free markets.”

AG Paxton is actively watching the cyber space for abuses and crimes of online platforms that put Texans at risk or take unfair advantage of them. Just this Friday, he filed a lawsuit against the Roblox Corporation, which runs one of the largest online gaming sites for children, for ignoring state and federal online safety laws.

“We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed,” the fierce AG of Texas was cited in the press release issued on November 7.

Last month, Paxton also secured what conservatives called a huge win when his lawsuit forced Dr. May Lau to surrender her medical license over prescribing dangerous gender-transition drugs to children.