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Google has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit from 2020 that accused the company of continuing to "track, collect, and identify [users'] browsing data in real time” after they had opened a new incognito window.
The lawsuit was filed by one Florida resident and two California residents, who accused Google of violating wiretapping laws, Ars Technica reports.
The plaintiffs also claim that sites that used Google Analytics and Google Ad Manager collected information from browsers that were using Chrome’s Incognito mode including device data, IP addresses, and web page content. Additionally, they claim that Google associated information about their incognito browsing with their existing user profiles.
Google initially tried to have the lawsuit dismissed based on a warning that’s displayed when users turn on incognito mode alerting them that their their activity might still be visible to websites they visit. A judge rejected that request for a summary judgment in August saying that it never told users that data collection would continue while they were in incognito mode.
Google and the plaintiffs have reportedly agreed to terms that will result in the case being dismissed. Neither side has made the details of the settlement public. The plaintiffs were initially seeking $5 billion.