A California judge ruled on Friday that Google should face a lawsuit alleging that the search giant secretly collects user data even when using their private “Incognito” mode. Bloomberg report.
Three users filed a complaint in June last year alleging that Google had an “ongoing data tracing business” and that its tracing continued even when users took steps to protect their private information, such as usage from incognito mode in Chrome, or private browsing in Safari and other browsers. The lawsuit seeks at least $ 5 billion.
Google tried to throw the case away, but U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh wrote in her ruling that the company did not notify users’ users that Google was involved in the alleged data collection while the user was browsing in private. mode is not. ‘
The company said in court that it’s making users clear ‘that’ Incognito ‘does not mean’ invisible ‘, and that the user’s activity during the session may be visible to websites they visit, and any analytics or advertising services from third parties. use the visited websites. ”
Google spokesman José Castañeda said in an email to The Verge on Saturday that the company was disputing the claims of the lawsuit “and we will defend ourselves strongly against it.” He added that Chrome’s Incognito mode gives users the choice to browse the web without storing activity in their browser or devices. “Because we can be clear every time you launch a new incognito tab, websites may collect information about your browsing activity during your session.”
Google said earlier this year that third-party tracking cookies were being phased out, saying it did not intend to replace the cookies with something that could be just as intrusive, although that would affect the company’s advertising business.
Update March 13, 16:39 ET: Add Google Spokesperson Statement