Google has reached a $1.375 billion settlement with the state of Texas to resolve two lawsuits alleging the company unlawfully tracked users’ personal data. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated the lawsuits, and Meta, Facebook’s parent company, settled a similar lawsuit last year. Paxton emphasized that Big Tech is not above the law in Texas and praised the settlement as a significant victory for state privacy laws.
A Google spokesperson clarified that the company is settling the lawsuits without admitting any wrongdoing or changing its products. Despite some legal victories in the suits, Google agreed to the settlement. The settlement follows recent antitrust rulings against Google for monopolistic practices in web search and advertising tech, with proposed remedies including the potential divestment of Chrome.
Paxton, who announced his intention to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the upcoming midterm elections, has been actively pursuing legal actions against major tech companies like Google. The settlement represents a significant win for state privacy laws and enforcement.