Google promises to delete browsing data collected in incognito mode | Privacy

Google has agreed to delete any data collected when users use the Chrome browser’s incognito mode. The commitment is part of the resolution of a collective action initiated in 2020 against the technology. At issue is the data collected by Google when people used incognito mode, an option that allows Chrome users to “browse in private”, without their data being accessed. websites who visit are saved in the browser history.

The terms of the agreement, reached at the end of 2023, were announced this Monday in the federal court in Oakland, California, USA. Despite in Google is not required to pay compensation, users can sue the company individually for damages. The lawyers at the office Boies Schiller & Flexnerevaluate the agreement in at least five billion dollars (equivalent to 4.4 billion euros).

The class action lawsuit covers millions of Google users who used the company’s incognito mode between 2016 and 2020. According to users, the Cookies and the apps Google collected information about sessions in incognito mode without making it clear.

Under the terms of the agreement, Google must clarify information about what is collected in incognito mode, a process it has already begun. The company must also allow incognito mode users to block Cookies from third parties for five years. The measures apply worldwide, PÚBLICO confirmed.

As a general rule, the Cookies third-party services (also known as trackers) store basic information and users’ search habits (location, interest, gender, language) that are relevant to brands that want to sell products online. For years, Google has been developing alternatives that allow it to share relevant information with advertisers, without collecting excessive data.

Google “satisfied with resolution”

Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company was pleased with the resolution of the lawsuit, which it had always considered meritless. “We never associate data with users when they use incognito mode,” said Castaneda. “We are pleased to delete old, technical data that was never associated with individuals and was never used for any form of personalization.”

David Boies, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, described the settlement as “a historic step forward in demanding honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies.”

“The result [do processo judicial] is that Google will collect less data from users’ private browsing sessions and make less money from that data”, summarizes Google’s defense.

A preliminary agreement was reached in December, avoiding a trial scheduled for February 5, 2024.