Penalty Amount
$2,775,000,000
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a comprehensive privacy enforcement initiative, achieving record settlements with Meta ($1.4B) and Google ($1.375B) for biometric and geolocation data violations, suing General Motors and TikTok, and investigating numerous companies for children's data and AI practices. The AG's office has enforced multiple Texas privacy laws and registered over 200 data brokers.
Companies must pay substantial monetary penalties, enter consent decrees, comply with Texas privacy laws, change data collection practices, protect children's data, and register as data brokers.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements, customer contracts, and data processing addendums that involve the collection, sharing, or processing of biometric identifiers, geolocation data, children's data, or AI-driven analytics. Key clauses to examine include data sharing provisions, consent mechanisms (especially for biometric data and minors), breach notification requirements, data retention schedules, AI transparency disclosures, and data minimization terms. Given Texas laws like TDPSA and the Biometric Identifier Act, agreements may require updates to include explicit parental consent for children's data, stricter limitations on sensitive data collection, clear opt-out options for biometric/geolocation tracking, enhanced security protocols, and compliance with data broker registration obligations. Employee agreements handling biometric data (e.g., timekeeping) should also be assessed.
Entity
Meta, Google, General Motors, TikTok, and other companies
Also known as: Meta
Industry
TechnologyOfficial Press Release
attorney general ken paxton launches data privacy and securi
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-launches-data-privacy-and-security-initiative-protect-texans-sensitive
attorney general ken paxton secures 14 billion settlement me
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-14-billion-settlement-meta-over-its-unauthorized-capture
attorney general ken paxton secures historic 1375 billion se
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-historic-1375-billion-settlement-google-related-texans-data
attorney general ken paxton sues general motors unlawfully c
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-general-motors-unlawfully-collecting-drivers-private-data-and
attorney general ken paxton reaches settlement first its kin
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-reaches-settlement-first-its-kind-healthcare-generative-ai-investigation
attorney general ken paxton sues tiktok sharing minors perso
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-tiktok-sharing-minors-personal-data-violation-texas-parental
attorney general ken paxton launches investigations characte
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-launches-investigations-characterai-reddit-instagram-discord-and-other
attorney general ken paxton announces investigation deepseek
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-announces-investigation-deepseek-and-notifies-chinese-ai-company-its
attorney general ken paxton notifies over 100 companies thei
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-notifies-over-100-companies-their-apparent-failure-comply-texas-data
TCP Complaint Input Data Privacy
https://consumerprotection.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumercomplaintportal/s/flow/TCP_Complaint_Input_Data_Privacy
Texas Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/privacy
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) alleging violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by prioritizing political agendas over sound financial guidance in voting recommendations. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop deceptive practices and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per DTPA violation. This action follows a 2025 investigation into ISS and peer firm Glass Lewis & Co.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into Meta's Meta AI Glasses over allegations of unlawful facial biometric data collection, deceptive privacy practices, and unauthorized sharing of user data with subcontractors. The investigation follows concerns that the glasses' always-on recording mode lacks proper user notice, planned facial recognition features would collect data without consent, and private user videos are accessed by third-party annotators in Kenya. The AG issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Meta to determine violations of Texas privacy laws.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into Meta regarding its Meta AI Glasses, alleging unlawful collection of facial biometric data, deceptive privacy representations, and unauthorized sharing of user data with subcontractors. The investigation follows concerns that the glasses’ always-on recording mode lacks proper notice, subcontractors access private user content including intimate moments, and Meta plans to deploy facial recognition technology to collect unsuspecting individuals’ facial geometry. The AG issued a Civil Investigative Demand to determine if Meta violated Texas law by deceptively misrepresenting its data use practices.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a settlement via Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Albertsons Safeway LLC, prohibiting the company from misting organic produce with synthetic pesticides like ProduceMaxx in all Texas stores. The settlement requires Albertsons-owned grocery chains to stop using synthetic antimicrobial pesticides in misting systems on organic produce and implement potable water rinses for organic produce after any prior treatments. The action follows an investigation launched in January 2026 into undisclosed pesticide use on USDA-certified organic produce.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) over allegations that the organization deceived donors by using millions of dollars in contributions to fund extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, which it publicly claimed to oppose. The SPLC was indicted on federal fraud charges in April 2026 for secretly paying leaders of these groups without disclosing the payments to donors. The Texas OAG issued a Civil Investigative Demand to SPLC to probe deceptive donor solicititation and other potential violations of Texas law.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Texas American Muslim University (TexAM) for operating without required state authorization, offering unauthorized degrees, and misleading prospective students. TexAM lacked the necessary certificate of authority to operate as a private postsecondary institution, had a forfeited nonprofit corporate charter, and used branding confusingly similar to Texas A&M University. The AG seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties exceeding $1 million for violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA) and Texas Education Code.