Google to Dispose of Browsing Data in Settlement of Consumer Privacy Lawsuit- Google has agreed to a settlement in a U.S. lawsuit that alleged the company secretly tracked the internet use of people who thought they were browsing privately. The lawsuit claimed that Google’s analytics, cookies, and apps allowed the Alphabet unit to improperly track users who set Google’s Chrome browser to “Incognito” mode and other browsers to “private” browsing mode. This led to concerns that Google became an “unaccountable trove of information” by learning about users’ friends, favorite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and potentially embarrassing online searches.
The settlement, which was filed in the Oakland, California federal court, requires approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The terms of the settlement include Google’s commitment to destroy billions of data records collected from users who thought they were browsing privately. This action is part of Google’s efforts to settle the lawsuit, which began in 2020 and covered millions of Google users who used private browsing since June 1, 2016.
Key Facts
- Google has agreed to destroy billions of data records to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit, addressing allegations of data collection during private browsing sessions.
- The settlement involves significant financial terms and requires Google to update disclosures about data collection in private browsing and allow users to block third-party cookies.
- The case highlights ongoing debates about privacy, data collection, and the accountability of technology companies to their users.
- Despite Google’s disagreement with the plaintiffs’ characterizations, the settlement represents a significant step towards transparency and accountability in how user data is handled by technology companies.
In addition to destroying the collected data, Google is required to update disclosures about what it collects during “private” browsing, a process it has already begun. The settlement also allows Incognito users to block third-party cookies for five years. While users will not receive damages, they may still sue individually for damages.
The lawsuit claimed that at least 70% of all websites have some sort of Google service embedded in them, collecting data from users surfing in Incognito Mode. This collected data feeds unique user profiles used for targeted advertising, and can contain extremely sensitive information. Google claims that these profiles are anonymized, but it has faced legal trouble in this area before, with Google Analytics being banned in several countries across the EU for sending anonymized site visitor data back to its own servers, where it could potentially be connected to other collected data to identify an individual user.
Google to destroy browsing data to settle consumer privacy lawsuit https://t.co/cVifk8JQ2h pic.twitter.com/fgOCiiygA8
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 1, 2024
The settlement is valued at more than $5 billion, and as high as $7.8 billion, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs. The class action lawsuit argued that Incognito Mode does not sufficiently inform users of how much of their browsing and personal information Google continues to capture when it is activated. While Google largely keeps its promise to not store or access browser information in Chrome, it does not necessarily mention that an assortment of its other services continue to collect data even when Incognito Mode is active.
This settlement represents a significant step towards addressing consumer privacy concerns related to Google’s data collection practices, particularly in relation to the use of “Incognito Mode” and similar private browsing features in other browsers.
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