Google recently settled in the United States in a lawsuit accusing it of illegally tracking Chrome users in Incognito mode. Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed.
According to the plaintiffs, while using Incognito mode, Google falsely led users to believe that this “silent” mode allows them to share information with other websites at their discretion. The company allegedly deployed Google Analytics, apps and browser plug-ins for this purpose, Reuters reports.
Disclosed internal conversations between Google executives allegedly revealed that the company tracked Incognito users to sell ads and monitor Web traffic.
Google was tracking Incognito users
In a comment, Google allegedly stated that while Incognito mode does not store user activity on a device, it allows other websites to collect information during sessions with those users.
The plaintiffs held Google responsible for violating U.S. federal and California state laws regarding eavesdropping and privacy. They demanded damages of $5,000 (€4,500) per affected user, a total claimed damage of $5 billion.
Although the exact financial details of the settlement have not yet been made public, the amount is expected to be less than the $5 billion claimed.
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