Google is one of the most important companies in the world, with its influence reaching the point where it dominates the internet. Both its search engine and Google Ads lead the way in web searches and online advertising, receiving many antitrust lawsuits. Google faced a $5 billion lawsuit in 2020 accusing it of using incognito mode to monitor users, and now, after three years, the company has finally reached a settlement.
In mid-2020, Google was accused of violating the privacy of millions of users who used its Chrome browser, specifically in reference to incognito mode, which is used when users do not want to leave a trace in their browsing history. Although the purpose of this mode was to allow users to browse without being discovered, Google apparently collected information about the sites people visited.
Google continues to be accused of incognito mode lawsuit but has reached a settlement
In 2021, the lawsuit progressed, demanding that Google pay a hefty fine of $5 billion for damages. The company maintained its position that Incognito Mode warns users that information can be collected, so users are not completely invisible to tracking. In fact, you can check this when entering this mode, as Google indicates it.
Since then, there have been updates on the incognito mode lawsuit, as it is now revealed that Google has reached a settlement. Judge Yvonne González Rogers of the Northern District of California court dismissed the trial that was scheduled for December 28th. The reason for this was the agreement discussed, where the company accepted this path in exchange for dismissing the lawsuit.
Thanks to the agreement, the $5 billion incognito mode lawsuit will not be enforced for now, although Google will still have to pay a fair amount for its actions. The exact amount will be revealed in due time, as the agreement will be presented to the courts before the end of January and approved by the end of February.
From there, it will be determined how much Google will have to pay to close the case. The company’s objective is to halve the amount, resulting in a payment of $2.5 billion. On the other hand, Google has confirmed that it collects data and does not hide this fact. In fact, tracking of visited websites can occur through other means, such as Google Analytics. This lawsuit prompted the company to admit this and since then, every time we enter incognito mode:
– Websites know we’re there
– Our bosses or educational institutions have access to the sites we visit
– Internet providers can also track us
The article “Google will pay $5 billion because of Chrome: incognito mode violates users’ privacy” first appeared on El Chapuzas Informático.
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