A settlement has been accomplished between Google and a company complaint claiming the secret surveillance of internet activities of users browsing privately. The settlement terms have been inserted into a court in California in Oakland and now await a signature from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Google wasn’t required to compensate for any damages that the settlement mandated, as affected users are entitled to seek compensation from the company personally.
According to the class-action lawsuit, which was started in 2020 and represents millions of users of private browsing mode, these users have been tracked since June 1, 2016, undermining the purpose of the Incognito mode. Plaintiffs pointed out that Google used their Analytics, cookies and apps to track users unfairly, even when they used the Incognito mode of Google’s Chrome browser or private browsing mode on other browsers. Such tracking is claimed to be one of the key tools that Google collects personal information such as friends list, interests, rewards anticipation, shop habits, and private online searches.
The settlement requires Google to update its terms that disclose how the data is collected during “private” browsing, and In incognito mode, users will be blocked third-party cookies for 5 years. Plaintiffs’ attorneys regard the settlement as conquering and successful because it diminished the data collected at private browsing, hence lowering Google’s gain from such information profitability.
In the settlement announcement, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the company was pleased with the resolution and that customers’ data was never tied to user accounts while in Incognito mode. The settlement, which, if approved, will resolve the lawsuit, is intended to remove the need for a trial scheduled for February 2024. Plaintiffs’ lawyers aim to obtain fees from Google in the future, although its amount is yet to be determined.
