OAN’s Brooke Mallory
11:50am – Monday, April 1, 2024
Google has agreed to delete billions of data records to settle a lawsuit that accused it of secretly monitoring the Internet activity of users it believed were surfing privately.
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The terms of the settlement were filed Monday in federal court in Oakland, California, and must now be approved by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers estimated the deal’s value at more than $5 billion, with a maximum of $7.8 billion. However, even if no compensation is received, the user can file a separate lawsuit for damages.
Millions of Google users have used Private Browsing since June 1stcentthe 2016 lawsuit is the subject of a class action lawsuit that began in 2020.
An individual claimed that Google improperly tracked users who switched Chrome and other browsers to “private” or “incognito” mode, according to Google Analytics, Cookies, and Apps.
As part of the settlement, Google will update its disclosures about the data it collects during “private” surfing, as it has already begun. In addition, users of Secret Cookies are given her five-year limit on third-party cookies.
“As a result, Google will collect less data from users’ private browsing sessions, and Google will receive less revenue from that data,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.
Google said in court documents that it agrees with the plaintiffs’ “legal and factual characterization,” but supports final approval of the settlement.
In a statement, David Boies, an attorney for the plaintiffs, hailed the settlement as “a historic step in demanding honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies.”
A tentative settlement was reached in December, and a February 5 trial date was announced.th, 2024. Terms were not disclosed at the time. The plaintiffs’ lawyers then plan to sue Google for undisclosed legal fees.
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