The lawsuit is one in a series filed by the State of Texas against “big tech” companies, with this case alleging Google violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by collecting voice and facial recognition data of its users without their consent and using it to further their commercial interests.
“Google’s indiscriminate collection of the personal information of Texans, including very sensitive information like biometric identifiers, will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Paxton is quoted in a press release.
This lawsuit is the latest Paxton has filed this year against Google. He also sued over the illegal collection of location data in January, citing a violation of the same law.
Paxton has also recently prevailed in other lawsuits against the tech giants.
Just last month, Paxton won a significant victory defending a recently enacted state law prohibiting the censorship of user viewpoints by social media companies.
The law, House Bill (HB) 20, prohibits technology companies from denying users equal access to share their viewpoints and expressions.
Paxton’s most recent lawsuit against Google was filed in a Midland, Texas-based State District Court.
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Matt Stringer
Matt Stringer is a reporter for The Texan who writes about all things government, politics, and public policy. He graduated from Odessa College with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Leadership. In his free time, you will find him in the great outdoors, usually in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend region of Southwest Texas.