Google has agreed to delete and remediate billions of data records collected from private browsing sessions in Chrome’s Incognito mode to settle a 2020 lawsuit accusing the company of lying to users about tracking and collecting their data. The settlement in Brown v. Google includes several conditions aimed at clarifying Google’s data collection practices. Google will rewrite its disclosures to make it clearer that it collects private browsing data, updating its Privacy Policy and the Incognito mode splash screen. Chrome will also block third-party cookies by default in Incognito mode and delete private browsing detection bits uncovered by users.
Although Chrome users won’t receive any money directly from Google, they retain the right to sue Google for damages individually. The settlement motion suggests the value of relief is worth over $5 billion. The user data Google is deleting as a result of the settlement is likely worth a great deal to the company.
Google spokesman José Castañeda said in a statement, “We are pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we always believed was meritless. We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization.”
This settlement emphasizes how crucial it is for data gathering procedures to be transparent. It is important for users to understand how their data is gathered and utilized, particularly when using private browsing settings. Google’s adjustments to its data processing in Incognito mode and disclosures are a step in the right direction for increased user privacy and openness.