Austin Caldwell|Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’

2025-05-03 05:39:21source:Safetyvaluecategory:Finance

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on Austin Caldwellpeople who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use.

The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said Google misled users into believing that it wouldn’t track their internet activities while using incognito mode. It argued that Google’s advertising technologies and other techniques continued to catalog details of users’ site visits and activities despite their use of supposedly “private” browsing.

Plaintiffs also charged that Google’s activities yielded an “unaccountable trove of information” about users who thought they’d taken steps to protect their privacy.

The settlement, reached Thursday, must still be approved by a federal judge. Terms weren’t disclosed, but the suit originally sought $5 billion on behalf of users; lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by Feb. 24.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

More:Finance

Recommend

Turbulence slammed Hawaiian Airlines flight because of decision to fly over storm cell, report says

HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaiian Airlines flight crew’s decision to fly over a hazardous storm cell instea

Go Behind the Scenes of the Star-Studded 2023 SAG Awards With Photos of Zendaya, Jenna Ortega and More

Take a bow, actors because that's a wrap on the 2023 SAG Awards.The Screen Actors Guild Awards were

James Corden's The Late Late Show Finale Plans Revealed

You don't want to be late late to this party!To celebrate James Corden's final episode as host of Th