Google was sued for misleading users in its "incognito" mode
Few days agos, information was released about a class action lawsuit which Google is dealing with and in which Google has announced important changes in the warning associated with incognito mode in your popular web browser, Chrome.
And given the recent demand, Google has reached an agreement to resolve litigation related to privacy violations and make modifications that are intended to provide users with a clearer understanding of the privacy limitations in this “semi-private” mode.
Google was charged with violating US federal wiretapping laws and California privacy laws. The lawsuit alleges that Google may use analytical data from its different services, browser cookies and its applications to track user activity when Chrome is enabled in incognito mode, as well as when you use private browsing mode in other browsers. This type of tracking provided uncontrolled access to information about friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits, and embarrassing things that users did not want to reveal and believed they were using incognito mode to protect their privacy.
As well It is mentioned that Google has chosen the misleading name "incognito", which gives the impression that the user receives anonymity and protection against browsing activity, rather than simply not storing browsing history and deleting site-related data such as cookies. The controversy highlights the importance of transparency from big tech companies regarding privacy practices, as well as the need for users to be informed about the real limitations of incognito mode.
The lawsuit alleges that Google tracks Chrome users on its own and third-party websites, Even when incognito mode is activated, which Google maintains that this mode is designed to prevent local data storage, not to prevent online tracking, the new warning seeks to further clarify these distinctions.
Google recognizes that although other users on the same device will not see activity in incognito mode, websites and services, including those of Google, may still collect data. Activity such as downloads, favorites, and playlist items will be stored.
This change in warning highlights the importance of educating users about online privacy. Although incognito mode can offer some protection, it is not enough to ensure complete privacy on the web.
The agreement, still pending court approval, includes changes to the incognito mode warning, and Google will have to provide additional information on its website and advertising campaigns. As part of this initiative, a warning has been implemented in Chrome Canary, the nightly version for developers.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have a significant impact on online privacy regulations and how companies approach communicating their privacy features.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, But the original lawsuit was filed in 2020, and initially the lawsuit sought to cover “millions” of Google users since June 1, 2016 and sought at least $5.000 in damages per user for violations of the laws. federal wiretapping and California privacy laws.
So far, only a few changes that have been agreed upon by the parties in conflict have been resolved, and they still must be approved by a federal judge in a hearing scheduled for February 24, since the hearing was postponed in December 2023, to end the dispute.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that no browser offers 100% privacy or anonymity to the user, what is true is that among the different existing browsers, we can find web browsers (such as brave) that offer additional layers of data protection. user, but this does not make them 100% efficient at it, since even browsers like Tor (for the dark web) have their flaws.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/