Google’s $1.375 Billion Texas Showdown: A Privacy Wake-Up Call! 🕵️‍♂️

Imagine your phone secretly tracking your every move, your face being scanned without a heads-up, and your “private” incognito searches… well, not so private. Sounds like a sci-fi thriller, right? Nope, it’s the real-life drama that led to Google coughing up $1.375 billion to Texas in one of the biggest privacy settlements ever. 😱 On May 9, 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced this historic win, settling claims that Google snooped on users’ locations, searches, and biometric data without consent. Let’s dive into the techy details, unpack what went wrong, and figure out how to keep your data safe. Buckle up — it’s a wild ride! 🚀

What’s the Big Deal? The Texas Takedown 🌵

Back in 2022, Texas filed two lawsuits against Google, accusing the tech giant of violating the state’s Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI) and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The allegations? Google was secretly collecting:

• Geolocation data, even when users turned off Location History.
• Incognito search data, despite Chrome’s “private” mode promises.
• Biometric identifiers, like voiceprints and facial geometry, via products like Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max.