Google has agreed to delete billions of data records related to users’ browsing activities in ‘Incognito Mode’, to settle a class action lawsuit. The class action lawsuit, filed in 2020, accuses the company of collecting user browsing data without their knowledge or explicit consent. It alleges that the IT giant deceived users, leading them to believe their online activities would not be tracked while using Chrome’s Incognito mode.
In December 2023, Google agreed to settle the $5 billion privacy lawsuit. The settlement does not involve any payment from Google. Individuals will have the opportunity to seek compensation by submitting their own complaints in US state courts.
Contrary to what the name implies, Google Chrome Incognito Mode does not keep your browsing fully private, but it limits the data your browser collects about you.
To settle the case, Google has agreed to erase its collection of stored data containing details of personal browsing sessions. Google has also agreed to do a better job of disclosing which data will be collected when someone opens up a Chrome Incognito Mode tab.
In addition, users will have the option to block third-party cookies. This is an additional privacy-boosting measure that should help all users limit the data collected by the IT giant.
Read more about it here.