Texas Sues Google for Collecting Biometric Data Without Consent

upstart writes:

Texas Sues Google for Collecting Biometric Data Without Consent:

The Texas attorney general filed a privacy lawsuit against Google on Thursday, accusing the internet company of collecting Texans' facial and voice recognition information without their explicit consent.

Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general, said Google had violated a state consumer protection law that requires companies to inform citizens and get their consent before capturing their biometric identifiers, including fingerprints, voiceprints and a "record of hand or face geometry."

Violators of the law face fines of up to $25,000 per violation. Mr. Paxton said Google had millions of users in Texas who were potentially affected.

"Google's indiscriminate collection of the personal information of Texans, including very sensitive information like biometric identifiers, will not be tolerated," Mr. Paxton said in a statement. "I will continue to fight Big Tech to ensure the privacy and security of all Texans."

Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesman, said in a statement that Mr. Paxton "is once again mischaracterizing our products in another breathless lawsuit." He added, "We will set the record straight in court."

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