Google has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit over its tracking of user activity in Chrome’s Incognito mode. The tech giant will delete the private browsing history of millions of users who used this mode, addressing long-standing privacy concerns.
For years, Google had been informing users that they could browse privately in Incognito mode, without explicitly stating what data it was collecting. A 2020 class-action lawsuit revealed that Google continued to collect data about users who browsed the internet in Incognito mode through advertising tools used by websites. This data was then used to measure web traffic and sell ads.
The lawsuit led to changes in Google’s practices. Now, Google must state that it can also track browsing during Incognito mode. Additionally, when users are in Incognito mode, Google will block third-party companies from tracking users’ cookies by default. This change limits the amount of data Google collects from users and ensures additional privacy.
While the class members, who include tens of millions of people who have browsed using Incognito mode, will not receive any monetary damages, individual users can sue Google in California state court to recover money over the covert data tracking.
Google’s spokesman, José Castañeda, stated that the company is happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization. He also pointed out that the lawsuit sought $5 billion in damages, but Google will not be making any payment as part of the proposed settlement.
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