Google agrees to remove browsing data from Chrome’s incognito mode

Google reached agreement on resolution class action lawsuit accusing the company of misleading users about my practice Data collection in Chrome Incognito mode. This agreement represents a significant victory for user privacy and requires Google to take several key actions.

Tech giant will delete millions of web browsing data records, obtained in Chrome incognito mode. The move addresses concerns that Google tracks users’ activity even when they are browsing privately.

To prevent this from happening again, Google will rewrite its data collection documents in incognito mode to achieve greater transparency and prevent misleading language. The agreement, filed in San Francisco Federal Court, not only obliges the tech company to eliminate the database, but also make significant changes to Chrome.

Over the next five years, Google You will need to block third-party cookies by default in Incognito mode.. “This requirement provides additional privacy for Incognito users in the future, while limiting the amount of data Google collects from them,” the document says.

Agreement does not include direct financial compensation to users individuals, although the estimated cost is $5 billion. This figure represents the potential value of data that Google will destroy or refuse to collect in the future. Users can still make claims for damages in separate actions.

The class action lawsuit, filed in 2020, targets millions of users who have used Chrome’s incognito mode since June 2016.

Google will remove millions of data from Chrome’s incognito mode

The plaintiffs’ lawyers see this agreement as historical achievement. The case required years of herculean efforts, including millions of pages of documents, proceedings to sanction Google for misconduct, and months of mediation.

“This agreement brings true accountability and transparency to the world’s largest data collector and marks an important step toward improving and protecting our right to privacy online,” the plaintiffs said.

Google, however, maintains its position that it never associated data with users in Chrome’s incognito mode, and emphasizes the removal of “old technical data” that was not used for personalization. Representative of the company stated that it was “gratifying to resolve a lawsuit that had no merit.”“.

Although the court did not approve financial compensation, affected users can file individual lawsuits against Google. The California state court has already received 50 claims for damages.