In a landmark settlement, Google has agreed to destroy billions of data records to resolve a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking users who believed they were browsing the internet privately. The terms of the settlement were filed on Monday in a federal court in Oakland, California, pending approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The class-action lawsuit, initiated in 2020, represents millions of Google users who have utilized private browsing modes such as “Incognito” since June 1, 2016. Users alleged that Google’s analytics, cookies, and apps allowed the company to improperly collect data from individuals who had set their browsers to private modes, turning Google into an “unaccountable trove of information.”
The plaintiffs claimed that despite using private browsing settings, Google was able to learn about users’ personal activities, including their friends, favorite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and other intimate searches. Lawyers for the plaintiffs valued the settlement at more than $5 billion and possibly as high as $7.8 billion, although Google will not pay damages under the agreement. Instead, users retain the right to sue the company individually for damages.
Under the settlement, Google will enhance its disclosures regarding data collection in private browsing modes, a process the company has already begun. Additionally, Google will allow Incognito users to block third-party cookies for five years, reducing the amount of data collected during private browsing sessions.
“The result is that Google will collect less data from users’ private browsing sessions and that Google will make less money from the data,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers stated in the filing.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda expressed satisfaction with the settlement, maintaining that the lawsuit was without merit. “We never associate data with users when they use Incognito mode,” Castaneda said. “We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization.”
David Boies, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, described the settlement as “a historic step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies.”
The settlement averts a trial that was scheduled to begin on February 5, 2024. While the preliminary settlement was reached in December, the terms were not disclosed until now. The plaintiffs’ lawyers plan to seek unspecified legal fees payable by Google at a later date.
Reference(s):
Google to destroy browsing data to settle consumer privacy lawsuit
cgtn.com
