Google faces $5 billion lawsuit over Incognito mode tracking
Google will have to deal with a lawsuit over Incognito mode tracking, failing to win the dismissal of the case. According to the lawsuit filed in June, the tech giant collects users’ data on internet activity even when they browse using a private incognito mode. The company is facing charges of violating wiretapping and privacy laws as it continues to track, intercept, and collect communications even when people use Chrome’s incognito mode or other private web browser modes.
On Friday, a federal judge Lucy Koh denied Google’s request to dismiss the class action case. The Judge determined that the company did not notify users about collecting data while Incognito’s privacy mode was active, thus giving the plaintiffs the green light to move forward with their case.
The lawsuit’s chief participants had accused Google of misleading people. The company is essentially telling the users that their info is private while simultaneously monitoring their habits.
However, it’s hard to tell whether or not the lawsuit will succeed. In such cases, successful class actions often lead to payouts that represent just a fraction of the damage to customers. So, there may not be any meaningful changes or compensation.
Google had already argued that users agreed to its privacy policy. So, they knew the company was collecting data. The tech giant also claims that it has repeatedly warned people that Incognito does not mean “invisible,” so sites could still see activity.
In fact, Incognito mode has limitations. Its purpose is to keep websites out of your local search history and cookies. Thus, it doesn’t block all potentially identifying traffic.
What does Google say about the lawsuit?
According to Google spokesperson José Castañeda, the company strongly disputes the claims, considering that Incognito warns users that sites might still track them.
Still, the general public may not be aware of Incognito’s true behavior. So, the impending lawsuit could force the tech giant to more explicitly tell people what it does and doesn’t collect. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion from Google and Alphabet, its parent company, for the violation of users’ privacy.
