Google will stand in court a day if incognito mode is built into Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser with more than 65 percent market share on the desktop. That’s because Judge Lucy Koh denied a motion by Google to dismiss the $ 5 billion class action lawsuit for incognito mode. Judge Koh found that Google did not “notify” browser users that data was still being collected while Incognito was in privacy mode, Bloomberg reported.
The main participants in the lawsuit have accused Google of misleading users about incognito mode. They claim that users mistakenly believed that their information was private while surfing with the feature represented by a small person in a hat and glasses, while Google was constantly monitoring their habits in the web browser. For his part, argues that users consented to its privacy policy and therefore knew that they were collecting data from their users all the time.
Google also argues that Incognito warns users that this feature “doesn’t mean” invisible “” and that websites can still see users’ activity as they download files, enter personal information, watch videos, purchase items at checkout, and more .
It is unclear whether the class action will be successful or not. And even if it does, there is no confirmation that it will result in any significant changes or compensation ($ 5 billion is a lot of money, but the sheer number of Google Chrome users – and Incognito Mode – is) also enormous). The original class action lawsuit states, “Google tracks and collects consumer browsing history and other web activity data, regardless of what safeguards consumers take to protect their privacy.”
While those interested in technology are likely to know exactly what Incognito Mode does – and what it doesn’t. It’s not clear if the average web browser user knows what the “Privacy” mode is actually hiding.
The lawsuit could force Google to make it clearer to its users what it collects in this mode. The complaint also serves as a criticism of companies that bury important information deep in their terms of use. Few people search these long documents from start to finish, which can create problems when details of privacy issues are contained in these long documents.
In her ruling, US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California said: “The court concludes that Google has not informed users that Google is involved in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode . “
As a result, the case is now being heard in the US District Court in the Northern District of California.
