Google recently agreed to delete browsing data collected while using Chrome’s Incognito mode to resolve a consumer privacy lawsuit. new york post report.
Google will destroy or anonymize billions of records collected from up to 136 million users who browsed the internet in incognito mode, according to a settlement agreement filed Monday in federal court in California. Become.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020, accused the tech giant of misleading consumers about private browsing options. Users claimed they were misled into thinking that incognito browsing gave them control over the information they shared. Instead, the complaint alleges that Google still tracks users’ data through analytics, cookies, and apps.
The suit accuses Google of amassing vast amounts of data on “millions” of users, creating a “trove of unexplainable information.” The lawsuit seeks class action status against the millions of Google consumers who have used the company’s private browsing mode since June 1, 2016. The lawsuit claimed that the data collected included information about users’ friends, favorite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and “potentially embarrassing items.” . ”
News broke in December that Google had agreed to settle the lawsuit. However, details of the agreement were not disclosed at that time.
The plaintiffs valued the settlement at $5 billion, which was the same amount as their original damages claim. However, Google spokesman Jose Castañeda said the plaintiffs would receive “zero” damages in the settlement agreement. Individuals can still sue for damages in California state court.by VergeFifty claims have already been filed.
In addition to destroying your data, Google also agreed to block third-party cookies during Incognito Browsing for five years.
The terms of the settlement agreement must be approved by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
“This settlement represents an important step toward ensuring true accountability and transparency from the world’s largest data aggregators and improving and preserving the right to privacy on the Internet,” the plaintiffs wrote. said in a court filing.
David Boies, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case, said the settlement is “an historic step in demanding honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies,” the Post reported.
Google has repeatedly denied the lawsuit’s claims that it misled consumers.
Castañeda said the company was “pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we have long believed to be without merit.”
“When a user uses Incognito mode, we never associate their data with them,” Castañeda continued. “We are happy to delete obsolete technical data that is not associated with an individual or used for any form of personalization.”
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