AUSTIN — Google has reached an agreement to pay $1.4 billion to the state of Texas in order to settle claims that it collected users' data without their consent, as announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday.

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.

According to Paxton, the resolution serves as a warning to major technology companies that they are not above the law in Texas.

He stated: "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 original claims, filed in 2022, focused on issues such as geolocation tracking, incognito browsing, and the use of biometric information without user consent.

Google has responded to the settlement by stating that it addresses "old claims" and emphasizing its commitment to privacy controls within its services.

Notably, the settlement does not require any further product changes from Google.

This payment represents the largest amount ever obtained by a U.S. state in a data privacy case against Google.

Previously, Texas had secured multiple major settlements against Google, including a $700 million deal in December 2023 regarding allegations concerning Google’s Android app store and anti-competitive practices.

In addition, Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over the alleged collection and use of biometric data from users without permission.

These developments highlight ongoing legal scrutiny within the tech industry concerning privacy violations.