Texas sues Google for non-consensual biometric data gathering

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Oct 2022 08:57

Google has collected the information of millions of biometric identifiers from Texas residents.

The corporate headquarters complex of Google. (Getty Images)

A day after India sued Google for anti-trust issues, Texas also sued Google over claims that the search-engine giant is illegally capturing the biometric data of users without their consent. This comes as part of the latest series of lawsuits by the state against tech companies over online privacy.

Google has collected the information of millions of biometric identifiers from Texas residents, including voice prints and records of face geometry through products like Google Photos and Google Assistant, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday.

“Google’s indiscriminate collection of the personal information of Texans, including very sensitive information like biometric identifiers, will not be tolerated,” Paxton said.

Google Photos, in addition, used a "photo grouping" technique that enables the app to analyze the facial features of people in the images uploaded onto the website, which also groups those files based on the people captured in the photos. Users, furthermore, can group photos of a specific individual from the library.

The lawsuit also argues that the process that enables Google to capture and store biometric information of people provides no chance for consent to get a hold of the data.

Texas, in addition to a few other states, has a biometric privacy law prohibiting the gathering of biometric information for commercial purposes without consent. Violations of the law can lead to a $25,000 penalty.

Paxton is reportedly seeking a temporary injunction to prohibit Google from continuing to collect personal data.

Google fined for abusing dominance in India

Yesterday, Friday, an Indian anti-trust watchdog fined Google more than $160 million after an investigation's findings revealed that Goole Inc. has been abusing its commanding position in the local smartphone market.

Google's Android mobile operating system is a dominant entity in India, running 95% of smartphones in the country, according to Counterpoint, a research agency.

However, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) noted that the tech giant integrated the platform to unlawfully crowd out rivals to its popular apps, including Youtube and Chrome.