**Summary: Google Photos AI Editing Tool Blocked in Texas and Illinois Due to Biometric Privacy Laws**
Google has recently expanded a new artificial intelligence-powered feature in its Photos app called Conversational Editing. This tool allows users to make sophisticated photo edits simply by typing text commands or speaking them aloud, making image enhancement accessible without the need for advanced software or technical skills. However, despite Google's push to integrate AI capabilities across its services, residents of Texas and Illinois—two of the most populous states in the United States—are currently unable to access this feature. The reason for this restriction lies in the unique biometric privacy laws enforced by these states, which have significant implications for how companies like Google can handle users' facial data.
**What is Conversational Editing?**
Conversational Editing is designed to simplify photo editing. Instead of navigating through complex menus or using specialized editing tools, users can ask Google Photos to perform edits using natural language. For example, a user might type or say, “Make the sky brighter,” or, “Remove the person in the background.” The feature debuted on Google's Pixel 10 smartphones and was later rolled out to all eligible Android and iOS users in the United States.
Yet, when Google announced the rollout, it vaguely mentioned that the feature would not be available in all regions, without specifying which or why. It has since become clear that Texas and Illinois are excluded, and this is not due to technical limitations, but rather legal constraints related to biometric data.
**Biometric Privacy Laws at Play**
The central issue with Conversational Editing in these states involves biometrics—specifically, facial geometry data. For Conversational Editing to function, another feature within Google Photos called Face Groups must be enabled. Face Groups uses artificial intelligence to group together photos of what it believes are the same person, making it easier for users to organize and search their photo libraries. To achieve this, Google analyzes the shapes, angles, and proportions of faces in photos and creates digital models, or “faceprints,” for comparison.
This process falls under the definition of biometric data collection, which is tightly regulated in both Illinois and Texas. Frank Fagen, a professor at the South Texas College of Law, explains that both states have enacted laws that restrict how companies can collect, store, and use biometric identifiers such as face geometry and voiceprints.
**Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)**
Illinois is at the forefront of biometric privacy with its Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which privacy advocates refer to as the “gold standard.” BIPA requires companies to obtain explicit consent before collecting any biometric data, and, crucially, it gives individuals the right to sue companies directly for violations without needing to prove actual harm. This has resulted in a surge of litigation against companies that collect biometric data, including Google. In 2022, Google settled a $100 million lawsuit in Illinois over its facial recognition features in Google Photos.
Under BIPA, even technical violations—such as