In a move that has surprised no one but amused everyone, Google has decided to shell out $1.375 billion to the state of Texas for the minor faux pas of unauthorized tracking and data collection. Apparently, Google’s idea of getting to know Texans better involved some light stalking that even the most dedicated ex would find obsessive.
The tech behemoth has admitted that maybe, just maybe, keeping tabs on where folks were going and using their faces as digital mugshots wasn’t the friendliest gesture. However, sources say the settlement amount was akin to finding a forgotten $20 bill in Google’s metaphorical couch cushions, making the payment a rather painless affair.
Texas, now flush with cash, is reportedly considering using the funds to develop its own non-creepy map app, tentatively named ‘Ya’ll Tracker-Free’, which promises to follow users with nothing more than a polite wave and a ‘howdy’. As they say in the Lone Star State, everything’s bigger in Texas except for privacy violations—those Google can keep small from now on.
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