Google has agreed to pay $5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleges the company violated users’ privacy by tracking their browsing activity even when they were using Chrome’s incognito mode. The lawsuit claimed that Google misled consumers into believing that enabling incognito mode protected their privacy by preventing the company from collecting personal data about their online activities.
However, the lawsuit alleged that Google continued to collect information about users’ browsing histories, social connections, interests and habits (including potentially embarrassing or sensitive topics) despite having privacy mode activated. This, according to the lawsuit, allowed Google to create extensive profiles that linked people’s identities to their Internet use without adequately informing them or obtaining meaningful consent.
The settlement ends a legal battle that began in 2020 when the class-action lawsuit was first filed in a California court on behalf of millions of Google users. The plaintiffs sought at least $5,000 per affected user for violating state privacy laws. Additionally, you can also read about: Malicious Google Play apps infect 330,000 Android devices
Details of the deal have not yet been made public, but should emerge in early 2023, when the formal agreement is submitted for court approval. By settling, Google avoids a lawsuit that risked revealing damaging revelations about its data collection practices and transparency around consumer controls such as incognito mode.
The episode highlights current questions about how tech giants handle personal information and how clearly they communicate privacy safeguards to users.
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn