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AG Sues Google For Allegedly Capturing Face And Voice Data Without Consent
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Topline
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging the tech giant violated state consumer protection laws by capturing millions of users’ facial and voice data without their consent, as facial recognition technology comes under increased scrutiny.
Texas AG Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming it took users’ facial and voice data … [+]
Key Facts
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Midland, Texas, claims the company’s Google Photos and Google Assistant apps, as well its Nest security camera—which records people who approach a front door—unlawfully took in biometric data from millions of Texans who use Google products.
By doing so, Google has “blatantly” violated a state law called the Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act since at least 2015, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleges features such as “face grouping,” which creates albums of certain people based on facial recognition records in the Google Photos app, are both “invasive” and “dangerous” because voice and facial data, once “stolen,” cannot be erased or replaced.
Paxton is seeking civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation.
Google’s biometric data serves its own “commercial ends,” Paxton claims, arguing it allows the company to enhance its face scanning abilities, driving its technological growth.
Google did not respond immediately to an inquiry from Forbes.
Tangent
Paxton filed another lawsuit against Google in January, claiming false, scripted testimonials on iHeartRadio promoting its Pixel 4 smartphone violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act by misleading consumers. He sued the company again over allegations it “systematically” tracked users’ location without consent, even when users thought they had disabled the tracking feature on their phones.
Contra
More than 400 police forces across the country, including 57 in Texas, had partnered with Amazon’s doorbell surveillance company Ring—a competitor to Google’s Nest cameras—in 2019, giving them access to homeowners’ front-door video footage, the Washington Post reported. Under that partnership, police departments are required to request footage from homeowners. But that practice came under scrutiny in June, when Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey (D), sent a letter to Amazon questioning policy violations from 11 instances in which he said footage was taken without homeowners’ consent. An Amazon official claimed those instances involved “imminent danger of death or serious physical injury” in a written response to Markey’s letter.
Crucial Quote
“Google has a new CEO and a new ethos, having tossed (former) CEO (Eric) Schmidt’s promises into the rubbish heap alongside Google’s abandoned ‘don’t be evil’ mantra,” the lawsuit argues, referencing a promise Schmidt made in 2011 not to build a database around facial recognition.
Further Reading
Texas sues Google for allegedly capturing biometric data of millions without consent (Reuters)
Texas Sues Google for Collecting Biometric Data Without Consent (New York Times)
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Brian Bushard, Forbes Staff
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