Google Settles a $5 Billion Lawsuit Over Consumer Privacy Violations
Plaintiffs alleged the tracking of user activity on browsers even when set to private modes.
- Google has agreed to settle a major customer privacy lawsuit over allegations of tracking private browsing sessions.
- While the suit sought at least $5 billion in penalties, the settlement amount and terms have not yet been disclosed.
Google has reached a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant was deceiving browser users about their privacy when using settings such as the Incognito mode. The lawsuit, which has been running for over four years, was put on hold as the news came out.
The plaintiffs had alleged that Google’s cookies, apps, and analytics allowed Alphabet Inc. to track user activity even when using private browsing modes in browsers, creating a database of information without any oversight. The suit pushed for $5 billion in settlement for the alleged violations. The terms of the settlement, however, have not been made public.
See More: Apple Seeks Agreement With News Publishers To Train Artificial Intelligence Models
The Northern District of California Judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, rejected Google’s request for the lawsuit to be dismissed and major pieces of evidence to be excluded, citing the company’s privacy policy and the interpretation as it applies to data collection in private mode browsing sessions. Lawyers from both sides have stated that a formal settlement will be presented to the court for approval by the 4th of February, 2024.
Digital privacy has increasingly gained importance in recent years regarding consumer protection discussions. The cases also highlight the gap between the expectations of users and the actual data management practices used by industry leaders.
This is the second lawsuit this month where Google had to face the heat. Earlier this month, Epic Games won a lawsuit against Google over competition rules associated with the Play Store, potentially changing the app store economy and giving developers more opportunities to distribute and profit from their products.
What do you think of Google’s product privacy policies? Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, X, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
Image source: Shutterstock
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