Google to pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle claims over unauthorized data collection
The settlement resolves allegations that Google unlawfully tracked users' locations, recorded private searches, and collected biometric identifiers such as voiceprints and facial geometry through services including Google Assistant and Google Photos.
Paxton described the resolution as a warning to major technology companies. 'In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,' he said in a statement.
'For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.'
The claims, originally filed in 2022, centered on Google's data practices involving geolocation tracking, incognito browsing, and the use of biometric information without user consent.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the agreement addresses 'old claims,' noting that many of the company's policies in question had already been revised.'We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,' he said. Castañeda added that the settlement does not require Google to make any further product changes.Paxton said the $1.4 billion payout is the largest ever obtained by a U.S. state in a data privacy case against Google.The deal follows a series of other major settlements Texas has reached with the tech company, including a $700 million settlement in December 2023 over allegations related to Google's Android app store and anti-competitive behavior.In a parallel case, Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over accusations that it collected and used biometric data from users without permission. — Agencies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Humans beat AI gold-level score at top maths contest
SYDNEY: Humans beat generative AI models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, despite the programs reaching gold-level scores for the first time. Neither model scored full marks — unlike five young people at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), a prestigious annual competition where participants must be under 20 years old. Google said Monday that an advanced version of its Gemini chatbot had solved five out of the six maths problems set at the IMO, held in Australia's Queensland this month. 'We can confirm that Google DeepMind has reached the much-desired milestone, earning 35 out of a possible 42 points — a gold medal score,' the US tech giant cited IMO president Gregor Dolinar as saying. 'Their solutions were astonishing in many respects. IMO graders found them to be clear, precise and most of them easy to follow.' Around 10 percent of human contestants won gold-level medals, and five received perfect scores of 42 points. US ChatGPT maker OpenAI said that its experimental reasoning model had scored a gold-level 35 points on the test. The result 'achieved a longstanding grand challenge in AI' at 'the world's most prestigious math competition,' OpenAI researcher Alexander Wei wrote on social media. 'We evaluated our models on the 2025 IMO problems under the same rules as human contestants,' he said. 'For each problem, three former IMO medalists independently graded the model's submitted proof.' Google achieved a silver-medal score at last year's IMO in the British city of Bath, solving four of the six problems. That took two to three days of computation — far longer than this year, when its Gemini model solved the problems within the 4.5-hour time limit, it said. The IMO said tech companies had 'privately tested closed-source AI models on this year's problems,' the same ones faced by 641 competing students from 112 countries. 'It is very exciting to see progress in the mathematical capabilities of AI models,' said IMO president Dolinar. Contest organizers could not verify how much computing power had been used by the AI models or whether there had been human involvement, he cautioned.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Watchdog finds hundreds of Instagram, Facebook ads crowdfunding for Israeli military
LONDON: Consumer watchdog Eko has uncovered hundreds of ads on Meta platforms — including Instagram and Facebook — that promote crowdfunding campaigns for the Israel Defense Forces, in apparent violation of the company's own advertising policies. The ads, run by pro-Israel groups, aim to raise funds for military equipment such as drones and tactical gear, despite Meta's rules prohibiting the promotion of firearms and weapons-related content. According to Eko's research, at least 117 ads have been published since March 2025 explicitly soliciting donations for equipment used by the IDF. The ads, launched by two groups, targeted users in the US, UK and EU, and generated at least 76,000 impressions — the number of times an ad is displayed to users. Combined, the campaigns raised more than $2.4 million through landing pages linked to the ads. 'We are the sniper team of Unit Shaked, stationed in Gaza, and we urgently need shooting tripods to complete our mission in Jabalia,' one Facebook ad read. Eko said most of the ads raised funds for Autel EVO drones, the model that Israeli soldiers have reportedly retrofitted with grenades and used in deadly attacks in Gaza, including against children. An investigation by Israeli outlet +972 Magazine recently revealed that Israel has acquired large numbers of Chinese-made Autel quadcopters — drones typically used for photography and available for purchase on Amazon — and adapted them to carry explosives. 'Most of our drones are broken and falling apart— and we don't have any replacements,' another ad said. 'Donate now — every second counts, every drone saves lives.' While Eko noted it is unclear whether funds raised through the ads were directly used to purchase drones, IDF soldiers told +972 that they had received Autel drones through donations, fundraisers and Facebook groups. One of the groups identified by Eko is the nonprofit Vaad Hatzedaka, which linked to a donation page listing equipment it was seeking to fund, including two Autel drones. As of this month, the campaign had raised more than $250,000 of its $300,000 goal. Another campaign, launched by Israeli singer-songwriter Mayer Malik, claimed to have collected more than $2.2 million for the IDF. Meta's advertising policies explicitly ban content that promotes the sale or use of restricted goods such as weapons, ammunition and explosives. 'Meta is profiting from genocide — approving ads that help funnel millions of dollars toward killer drones and military gear likely used to murder Palestinians,' Vicky Wyatt, campaign director, said. 'This isn't just a moderation failure — it's a business model built to reward whoever pays, no matter the harm.' While Meta has removed some of the ads flagged in Eko's latest report, the watchdog said the company has done little to address broader concerns raised during a previous investigation in December 2024. At the time, Eko flagged 98 similar ads, prompting takedowns, but Meta allowed the advertisers to return with near-identical campaigns. The IDF itself is not directly running the fundraising campaigns. The new findings come just days after a separate investigation by the Tech Transparency Project revealed that platforms including X and WhatsApp were being used as storefronts for weapons sales by arms dealers linked to Houthi militants in Yemen. Eko warned that Meta's approval of the IDF-linked ads may also breach the EU's Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to remove content that violates national or EU laws.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Al Arabiya
India's financial crime fighting agency summons Google, Meta executives, sources say
India's financial crime fighting agency has summoned executives of tech giants Google and Meta to its headquarters on Monday as it investigates accusations of money laundering on online betting apps, two government sources said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating whether the platforms eased the way for promotion and wider reach of betting apps through advertisements, the first source said. A date of July 21 has been set for the appearances at the agency's headquarters in the capital, New Delhi, the source added. A second government source accused Google and Meta of using their platforms to promote illegal activities, despite a government advisory against the advertisement of any form of betting. The agency will investigate Google and Meta over the funds they received from betting apps, the second source added, as well as checking if they were advertising or promoting any other betting platforms. Both sources sought anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media. Google and Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Betting and gambling pose 'significant financial and socio-economic risks for consumers, especially youth and children,' India's information and broadcasting ministry told television channels and digital media in an advisory in 2022. Promotion of offline or online betting and gambling through advertisements was not advised in the larger public interest, the ministry added.
