Google Is Being Accused Of Tracking Users’ Information Even When Browsing In Incognito Mode
Google Is Being Accused Of Tracking Users’ Information Even When Browsing In Incognito Mode. Google violated the privacy of “hundreds of millions” of users by tracking their every move with its Chrome browser, even when those users opted for the browser’s private “Incognito mode,” according to a $5 billion lawsuit filed Tuesday by David Boies’ Boies Schiller and Flexner law firm.
According to the proposed class-action suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Northern California, “the tech giant tracks and collects consumer browsing history and other web activity data no matter what safeguards consumers undertake to protect their data privacy. Indeed, even when Google users launch a web browser with ‘private browsing mode’ activated (as Google recommends to users wishing to browse the web privately), Google nevertheless tracks the users’ browsing data and other identifying information.”
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda, in a statement shared with TheWrap, said it “strongly disputes these claims and will vigorously defend against them. Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session.”
“Through its pervasive data tracking business, Google knows who your friends are, what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you watch, where and when you like to shop, what your favourite vacation destinations are, what your favourite colour is, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet — regardless of whether you follow Google’s advice to keep your activities ‘private. Indeed, notwithstanding consumers’ best efforts, Google has made itself an unaccountable trove of information so detailed and expansive that George Orwell could never have dreamed it.” the lawsuit said.
Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specialises in internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. It is considered one of the Big Five technology companies in the U.S. information technology industry, alongside Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft.
