ICYMI: Google agrees to destroy browsing data to settle lawsuit

The move will involve billions of data that Google allegedly tracked through private browsing.

Incognito screenshot

Deleting data collected from users using Incognito

According to a Reuters report, Google has agreed to destroy billions of data to settle the lawsuit alleging that the company secretly tracked people using private browsing.

We never associate data with users when they use Incognito mode, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said. “We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization.

It was estimated that the value of the accord was more than USD 5 billion (or around PHP 250 billion), and as high as USD 7.8 billion (around PHP 390 billion). Google will not pay any damages, but users may sue the tech giant individually for damages.

The case started in 2020, covering millions of Google users who used private browsing since June 1, 2016.

They claimed that Google's analytics, cookies, and apps let the Alphabet unit improperly track people who set their Chrome browser to "Incognito" mode and other browsers to private mode.

The users said made Google an "unaccountable trove of information" by letting it learn information about them.

Under the settlement, Google will update disclosures about what it collects in private browsing, which already started. It will also let Incognito users block third-party cookies for five years.

The result is that Google will collect less data from users' private browsing sessions, and that Google will make less money from the data, the plaintiffs' lawyers wrote.

Plaintiffs' counsel David Boies called the settlement historic as this is a step towards making sure tech giants ensure honesty and accountability.

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Via: Reuters