FB pixel

Google bashes Texas biometric law while another state proposes its own

Google bashes Texas biometric law while another state proposes its own
 

Nothing is getting easier on the legal front for companies in the United States collecting the biometric identifiers. A lawsuit by the state of Texas against Google has devolved into an ugly critique of privacy laws and other states are working on their own biometric privacy act.

If the 2009 Texas law, called the Capture or Use of Biometric Identifiers Act, truly is the inconsistent word salad as depicted by Google, it will generate more arguments having little to do with the law and wasting time and money for all involved.

That would be the case at least until a new law could be written, which would be an expensive, time-consuming process. And that law probably would not match any other two states’ biometrics laws.

This is happening as lawmakers in other states, including Mississippi this month proposed the Biometric Identifiers Privacy Act, or House Bill 467. This and other efforts follow the state of Illinois’ landmark BIPA.

The Google lawsuit is being waged since October under Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who pokes the shins of Big Tech to raise his visibility. It alleges that Google has broken the 2009 law. It is alleged that Google did not get advance consent for its Photos app and Assistant and Nest hardware-software products to collect Texans’ biometrics.

Residents have no right to action – the freedom to sue on their own until the biometric law, which differs from Illinois’, which lets anyone seek relief.

Google this week filed a response to the state’s lawsuit, and apparently held little of its temper back.

The state has not played “fair” in a case of “misplaced assumptions” related to the prosecution of alleged wrongdoing involving “a little-used statute.” The case is “meandering and internally inconsistent.” It also shoots itself in the foot, according to Google’s filing, making one claim only to undercut the same claim elsewhere.

It is possible that Mississippi lawmakers are watching the Texas case. It would be the closest thing to legislative conformity.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Biometrics adoption strategies benefit when government direction is clear

Biometrics providers have major growth opportunities ahead where there is clarity about their role. What part governments play in digital…

 

Biometric Update Podcast digs into deepfakes with Pindrop CEO

Deepfakes are one of the biggest issues of our age. But while video deepfakes get the most attention, audio deepfakes…

 

Know your geography for successful digital ID adoption: Trinsic

A big year for digital identity issuance, adoption and regulation has widened the opportunities for businesses around the world to…

 

UK’s digital ID trust problem now between business and government

It used to be that the UK public’s trust in the government was a barrier to the establishment of a…

 

Super-recognizers can’t help with deepfakes, but deepfakes can help with algorithms

Deepfake faces are beyond even the ability of super-recognizers to identify consistently, with some sobering implications, but also a few…

 

Age assurance regulations push sites to weigh risks and explore options for compliance

Online age assurance laws have taken effect in certain jurisdictions, prompting platforms to look carefully at what they’re liable for…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Market Analysis

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events