Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Paxton Secures Historic $1.4 Billion Settlement with Meta

• A landmark $1.4 billion settlement with Meta—formerly known as Facebook—was announced yesterday by Attorney General Ken Paxton on behalf of Texas. The company was accused of violating user privacy by capturing and using the biometric data of millions of Texans without properly obtaining their informed consent, in violation of Texas law. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       
• The company had been storing millions of biometric identifiers—defined by statute as “a retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or record of hand or face geometry”—contained in photos and videos uploaded by casual users of the social media service.
       
• Paxton’s office noted that the settlement is the largest ever obtained from an action by a single state and the largest privacy settlement secured by an attorney general. In comparison, 40 states received a $390 million settlement from Google in 2022 over the tech giant’s location tracking practices.
      
• Under the terms of the settlement, Meta will pay the state $1.4 billion over the next five years.
       
• “This serves as a warning to any companies engaged in practices that violate Texans’ privacy rights.” – Ken Paxton

Texas Senators Grill CenterPoint CEO Over Botched Hurricane Response

• In a heated legislative hearing, Texas state senators grilled CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells over the utility’s inadequate response and communication issues during Hurricane Beryl.
        
• At the peak of Beryl, around 2.7 million customers lost power. While CenterPoint claimed to have restored power to about 2 million customers shortly after the hurricane subsided, hundreds of thousands of Houston-area residents remained without power a week later.
        
• State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) did not mince words in conveying his frustration with the energy giant, at the beginning of the hearing. "What makes my blood boil is the fact that we’re having to have a hearing to hear about a whole bunch of people that did their job right. But the biggest multibillion-dollar corporation, we’re having to tell them how to do their job."
      
• In his comments, Wells said he took "personal accountability" for the company's failures.

Reddit Group Targets Christian Homeschool Vloggers From Texas

• Individuals on the internet forum Reddit are targeting a Christian homeschool family from Lubbock known for their uplifting Instagram content. Luca Cacciatore has their story.
      
• JD and Britney Lott feared that the Florida Department of Children and Families might confiscate their eight children after the anti-Christian group falsely accused them of child neglect. They have described receiving a phone call from the Florida DCF demanding that they inspect the children by the end of the day or face a nationwide removal order, based on claims made by the Reddit group.
      
• In response, the Lott family reached out to the Family Freedom Project, an affiliate of the Texas Home School Coalition, to secure legal representation. The children were examined by doctors in Georgia, who cleared the family and expressed indignation over the spurious allegations.
           

• Further investigation has revealed the Reddit group was actively working to harass and defame the family, including through false and misleading reports with child protective service agencies around the nation.

Cruz Warns of Terrorist-Linked Gazans Crossing US-Canada Border

• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and his colleagues are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security address "the possibility of terrorists crossing the U.S.-Canada border." Debra McClure reports senators are concerned about Canada’s decision to increase the number of Gazans allowed into their country.

      
• By reportedly offering temporary resident visas to Palestinians living in the Palestinian Territories, Canada’s foreign nationals become eligible to receive a “Refugee Travel Document” to travel outside of the country. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services accepts Refugee Travel Documents instead of a passport.
       
• Citing the Biden administration’s lack of border enforcement, the senators pointed out there have been more than 233 suspected terrorist encounters at the northern border in Fiscal Year 2024, an increase from previous years.

Parents Split Over Student Access to Cell Phones at School

• Around the state, parents are debating what limits—if any—are appropriate as more Texas school districts propose policies restricting students’ access to cell phones. Erin Anderson reports on the debate taking place in Keller, where the school district is the latest to consider measures designed to keep kids off their phones during school hours.
      
• During a meeting of district trustees last week, a policy was put forward that would require students to keep their cell phones turned off and stored in a bag or locker throughout the school day—including during class changes and lunch. If the policy is approved, students could use their phones in emergencies or “for approved purposes.”
       
• Some parents spoke out in favor of the policy, while others are concerned it interferes with their rights. Some parents believe districts are adopting cell phone bans to keep kids from recording what goes on inside schools. 
       
• Meanwhile, State Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R–Lakeway) has said she will propose legislation to get smartphones out of all Texas classrooms.

Quote-Unquote

"Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric."

– Thomas Sowell​

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