Texas Sues Google for Collecting Biometric Data Without Consent (The New York Times)

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. Texas introduced its biometric law in 2009, with Illinois and Washington passing similar laws around the same time. While Illinois's version of the law allows individuals to sue companies directly, Texas must sue companies on consumer's behalf. Until this year, Texas had not enforced its law. "The single biggest difference is that Illinois has a private right of action, which Texas doesn't," said Omer Tene, Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity partner, while speaking with The New York Times. "When it comes to attorney general priorities, this hasn't figured high. Maybe it's going to become more central now."