Why Google Won't Search for Your Art Look-Alikes in Some States

Millions of people across the U.S. downloaded an app over the holiday weekend to see how a Google algorithm matched their selfies to historical artwork. But for many residents of Illinois and Texas, the selfie tool was missing.

The reason? State laws there ban the collection of biometric data, including a record of “face geometry,” without a user’s consent. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., is blocking the selfie service in its arts and culture app in Illinois and Texas because of the laws, according to a person familiar with...