Google has agreed to delete “billions of data records” obtained during private browsing sessions to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company improperly tracked individuals who believed they were privately browsing the internet.
The company has also agreed to modify the statement that shows up at the start of each “incognito mode” session to notify users that it gathers data from private browsing sessions, as stated in legal documents submitted on Monday.
As part of the agreement, Google must additionally permit incognito mode users to block third-party cookies for the next five years.
The submission, filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, describes the settlement as a significant move in compelling major technology firms to be transparent in their communications with users about how they gather and utilize user data, and to erase and address collected data.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda also praised the settlement, highlighting that it does not mandate the company to make any payments. Nevertheless, individuals still maintain the right to sue for damages under the settlement.
“We are pleased to resolve this lawsuit, which we always believed was baseless,” Castañeda stated in a release. “The plaintiffs originally sought $5 billion and will receive nothing.”
“We never link data with users during their Incognito mode usage,” he added. “We are willing to delete old technical data that was never connected to an individual and was never utilized for any type of personalization.”
