Google has reached a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed in 2020, which alleged that the tech giant’s Chrome browser surreptitiously tracked the internet activity of millions of users, even when using the ‘Incognito’ setting, according to a Reuters report on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, accused Google of persistently ‘tracking, collecting, and identifying browsing data in real time’ when users believed they were browsing privately. Plaintiffs claimed that Google’s analytics, even in ‘Incognito’ mode, collected information such as web page content, device data, and IP addresses.
The complainants argued that Google, by doing so, amassed an ‘unaccountable trove of information’ that allowed the company insights into users’ personal details, including friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits, and potentially embarrassing information. Furthermore, Google was accused of associating users’ private browsing activity with their existing user profiles.
In August, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Google’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, emphasizing that the company had never informed users that data collection continued in private mode.
The lawsuit, representing ‘millions’ of Google users since June 2016, sought at least $5 billion in damages, or about $5,000 per user, for wiretap law violations.
While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, the notice filed this week indicated that Google and the plaintiffs have agreed to a binding term sheet through mediation. They are expected to present a formal settlement for court approval by February 24, 2024.
