Google has agreed to settle a privacy lawsuit for $5 billion claiming it spied on individuals who used the “Incognito” mode in its Chrome browser, along with comparable private modes in other browsers, to track their Internet behavior.
This is a class-action lawsuit, entitled Brown v. Google filed in 2020, which argues Google misled users into believing their browsing history was protected while using Incognito mode. It states that Google’s advertising technologies and other methods still catalog details of user site activities and visits despite their use of private browsing.
Plaintiffs made additional charges, claiming that Google’s violations yielded an “unaccountable trove of information” regarding users who believed they had taken steps toward protecting their privacy.
The settlement still needs to be approved by a federal judge. Although terms were not disclosed, lawyers said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by February 24.