Google is set to purge billions of data records folไlowing a settlement in a lawsuit alleging the tech giant's improper tracking of users' web-browsing activities, par♑ticularly those who believed they were browsing the internet in private mode.
In 2020, a lawsuit accusing Google of misrepresenting the nature of data collection from users🌌 utilizing the "Incognito" private browsing mode in its Chrome browser was filed. While Google agreed to settle the suit late last year, the specifics of the settlement were only disclosed in a filing on Monday.
According to court documents filed in Sanꦕ Francisco federal court, as part of the settlement, Google is mandated to delete "billions of data records" reflecting the private browsing behaviors of users involved in the class actio🌠n suit.
Google will also update its discl෴osure practices to apprise users of the data it collects each time they commence a private browsing session. The tech giant has already commenced the implementation of these changes.
Over the next five years, Google will empower private browsing users to block third-party cookies as part of the settlement. Furthermore, Google commits to cease tracking individuals' decisions t🧔o browse the internet privately.
David Boies, the attorney represent♈ing the consumer plaintiffs, hailed the settlement as "a histꦦoric step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies" in a statement to CNN.
Boies emph🍰asized, "Moreover, the settlement requires Google to delete and remediate, in u💛nprecedented scope and scale, the data it improperly collected in the past."
In response, José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, expressed sati📖sfaction with the settlement, lab♍eling the lawsuit as "meritless."
"We never associate data with users when they use Incognito mode," Castañeda asserted. "We are happy to delete💖 old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization."
Addressing the financial aspect, Castañeda pointed out that while the plaintiffs initially 🗹sought $5 billion, they will not receive any compensation as part of the settlement.
The terms of the settlement, as revealed in court filings on Monday, specify that use🤡rs will not be awarded damages collꦇectively, but they retain the option to pursue individual claims for damages.
