Google agrees to delete data from Incognito tracking
Google agrees to remove data from Incognito’s tracking to remove billions of records and submit to some restrictions on its ability to track users, under the terms of the proposed legal settlement.
The agreement aims to settle the U.S. class lawsuit in 2020, which accused the tech giant of entering the privacy of people by collecting user data even when they roamed in “private mode”.
The lawsuit has demanded $5 billion in compensation.
Google supports the deal, even though it debates the claims.
The company has made changes in response to the lawsuit.
Data deletion will also take effect outside the United States.
In January, shortly after the two sides announced plans to resolve the case, the company updated its disclosure to explain that it still tracks user data even when users choose to search personally or use its “Incognito” setting.
That mode provides a little extra privacy because it does not save browsing activity to the machine being used.
Google settles the lawsuit for private mode tracking
In the same month, the company said that they started testing features that will automatically block third-party cookies, which help track user activity, for all Google Chrome users.
They have made the block automatically for Incognito users shortly after the lawsuit was filed in 2020 and has agreed to make sure the limit exists for five years, in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement, filed on Monday in a federal court in San Francisco.
On Monday, Google also agreed to delete the “hundreds of billions” records of personal browsing data it had compiled, it reads in a court filing.
“We are happy to settle this lawsuit, which we always believe has no basis,” Google spokesman Jorge Castaneda said in a statement, noting that the company will not pay any compensation.
“We are happy to delete old technical data that has never been associated with individuals and has never been used for any form of personalization.”
Frequently Asked Questions about Google agreeing to remove data from Incognito tracking
- Will Google delete all user data in Incognito mode?
- Google has agreed to remove “hundreds of billions” records of personal browsing data it has compiled.
- What is meant by “incognito” mode?
- Incognito mode is a browser setting that does not store browsing history or browsing data on the device used.
- How will Google react to this lawsuit?
- Although Google debates the claims in the lawsuit, the company has agreed to delete the data and be subject to certain restrictions related to user tracking.
