Google intends to delete data collected from millions of users while they were browsing the internet, following an agreement signed on Monday to settle a lawsuit related to the privacy of personal information.
The class-action lawsuit, filed in 2020, addressed Google Chrome’s “Incognito” browsing mode, which misleadingly gives users the impression that the internet search giant does not track them, according to the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs accused the company, a global leader in digital advertising, of misleading them about how Chrome’s browser tracks users of this private browsing option.
Lawyers clarified in the agreement filed on Monday in a San Francisco court that the plaintiffs’ efforts yielded significant admissions from Google employees, including documents describing the Incognito mode as “essentially a lie” and “a problem in professional ethics and the fundamentals of integrity,” acknowledging it “causes confusion.”
If Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers approves the agreement in July, it would spare Google from trial but obligate it to “delete and/or anonymize billions of data records” collected during the use of Incognito browsing mode.
The document considered this agreement a historic milestone because it requires dominant technology companies to be honest with users about how their data is collected and used and mandates the deletion of data collected in this manner.
Google has committed to immediately rephrasing the notice displayed in Incognito mode to “inform users that it collects private browsing data.”
The company must also block third-party cookies in Incognito mode, which are primarily used to track users online and target them with ads. Google has already begun transitioning away from these cookies, which have faced significant criticism.
The agreement does not include compensation payments, although the 2020 lawsuit demanded five billion dollars. However, it leaves Chrome users who feel aggrieved the option to sue Google individually for compensation.
While the exact payout to eligible users remains uncertain until the settlement’s finalization, estimates suggest that users could receive compensation ranging significantly based on the extent of their privacy infringement. In addition to the settlement, 19 state attorneys general have shown interest in the case, filing a brief in an appeal of a dismissed federal lawsuit against Google, further highlighting the significance of this issue in the broader context of digital privacy and consumer rights.
