Google Agrees to Settle $5 Billion 'Incognito Mode' Privacy Lawsuit

Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit alleging that the tech giant secretly tracked the browsing information of millions of people who access its "Incognito Mode."

The trial for the class action is initially scheduled for February 5, 2024, with a demand of not less than $5 billion. California District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is supposed to preside over the trial.

Google's lawyers have not disclosed the agreed settlement amount but said a binding term was sealed during their discussion with the plaintiff.

A formal settlement is set to be presented for court approval on the supposed trial date.

The announcement came right after documents revealed that Google agreed to pay the $700 settlement in its case against Epic Games.

Google Consumer Privacy Lawsuit: 'Incognito Mode' is Apparently Not Private

The lawsuit alleges that Google's parent company, Alphabet, is collecting an "unaccountable trove of information" of user data even when using Google Chrome's "Incognito Mode."

The same remains true even when switching to other private browsers.

Plaintiffs allege that Alphabet can track its users via Google's analytics, cookies, and apps constantly running in the background.

Rogers has earlier dismissed Alphabet's appeal to dismiss the case.

The case was first filed in 2020, demanding at least $5,000 in damages per user in the "millions" of people affected by the federal wire-tapping violation since June 1, 2016.

How to Secure User Data While Browsing Google

To ensure that big companies do not secretly collect any embarrassing or private information, it is recommended to use trusted digital security software to protect user data.

One of the standard security options is VPNs to keep companies like Google collecting user cookies and location.

Using onion browsers may also provide added protection from the search results linked to the user.