Google will face a $ 5 billion lawsuit for tracking users in incognito mode

Google Chrome’s incognito mode is at the forefront of a $ 5 billion class action lawsuit alleging that users are being tracked during private browsing sessions.

The lawsuit alleges that Google is violating privacy and wiretapping laws to intercept, track and collect communications when Chrome’s incognito mode is in use.

Google has been trying to have the lawsuit dismissed since it was filed last June. A federal judge ruled that the lawsuit must go ahead.

The judge’s ruling states that Google does not adequately inform users that their data can be collected incognito mode.

US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, writes:

“The court finds that Google failed to notify users that Google is participating in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode.”

To be clear, the consumers who filed the case disagree with Google’s data collection using other services in incognito mode.

For example, when a user visits a website in incognito mode, Google Analytics can still collect their data.

Consumers who filed the lawsuit say they were under the impression that incognito mode offered complete privacy to data trackers.

Google disputes the claims through a statement provided by company spokesman José Castañeda:

“We vigorously dispute these claims and will vigorously defend ourselves against them. Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the option to browse the Internet without your activity being saved on your browser or device. As we clearly indicate each time you open a new incognito tab, it is possible that websites may collect information about your browsing activity during your session. “

Google also notes that the plaintiffs accepted Chrome’s privacy policy that discloses its data collection practices.

How clear does Google make that user data can still be collected in incognito mode? We’ll see.

Fact Check Against Google

Consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Google for collecting data while using incognito mode in the Chrome browser.

The judge who heard the case ordered the lawsuit to go ahead on the grounds that Google does not inform users that their data can still be collected while browsing incognito.

Google disputes the claims, saying that make inform users every time they open an incognito window that websites may collect data.

This is what users see when they activate incognito mode in the Chrome browser:

The message begins with the statement, “You can now browse privately …” and then goes on to clarify that one user’s browsing activity is private from other people using the same device.

Towards the bottom, the message specifically says:

“Your activity could still be visible to the websites you visit “.

The message also lets users know that their activity might be visible to others while using incognito mode at school or work.

A user’s Internet service provider could also see their activity.

What does incognito mode really do?

Google Chrome’s incognito mode is very misunderstood.

Some believe that incognito mode exempts the user from personalized search results. This was the focus of a study conducted by DuckDuckGo in 2018.

There are others, like the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, who believe that Incognito Mode offers absolute privacy.

What does he do?

Incognito mode prevents data from being stored in the zone. Hide a user’s browsing activity from other people who can use the same device.

For example, if you share a computer with roommates, you can use incognito mode to prevent them from seeing the websites you visit.

That is the scope for which the incognito mode is designed.

This will be an interesting case to follow, as the plaintiffs will have to convince a jury that their claims are valid.

If nothing else, this case can create greater awareness of what incognito does and doesn’t do.

Source: Bloomberg