Google to Delete Incognito Mode Browsing Data: Chrome Privacy Update |
0Google to Delete Incognito Mode Browsing Data: Chrome Privacy Update |
To resolve a 2020 lawsuit alleging that Google misled users about tracking and collecting data in Chrome's Incognito mode, the company has agreed to delete and remediate billions of data records obtained from private browsing sessions. The proposed settlement in Brown v. Google outlines several conditions, with data deletion being just one aspect.
In the future, Google will revise its disclosures to clarify that the company collects private browsing data. This will be done by updating its Privacy Policy and the Incognito mode splash screen, some of which have already been implemented.
Additional concessions include Chrome blocking third-party cookies by default in Incognito mode and the deletion of private browsing detection bits discovered by users. Unlike the recent Verizon settlement, Chrome users will not receive any direct monetary compensation from Google. However, class members retain the right to sue Google for damages individually.
The settlement motion estimates the value of relief to be over $5 billion. Although Chrome users won't receive any checks in the mail, the user data that Google is deleting as a result of the settlement is likely worth a significant amount to the company.
Google maintains its position that the lawsuit was without merit. José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, stated, "We are pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we always believed was meritless. We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization."
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