In 2020, Google faced a lawsuit alleging that it was tracking the activities of Chrome users even when they were in Incognito mode.
Despite an unsuccessful attempt to have the case dismissed, Google has now decided to settle, with the suit initially seeking $5 billion in damages. Details of the settlement have not been released by either side, but they have agreed to terms that will be presented to the court for approval in February. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged that Google used various tools, such as the Analytics product, applications and Chrome browser extensions, to track users.
They argued that Google’s tracking of users while incognito mode gave the false impression that users could manage the information they shared with the company without sharing anything. A Google spokesperson clarified that while Incognito doesn’t save user activity on their device, websites could collect their information during the session.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit produced internal e-mails purportedly revealing conversations between Google executives indicating that the company was monitoring the use of the Incognito browser to sell ads and track web traffic. The lawsuit accuses Google of violating federal wiretapping and California privacy laws, seeking up to $5,000 per affected user. The plaintiffs suggested that millions of people who used the Incognito feature since 2016 were affected by the whole affair, hence the substantial damages sought from the company.
It is possible that Google has agreed to a settlement amount of less than $5 billion, but has not yet disclosed the details of the agreement.
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