Google has agreed to delete a significant amount of search data as part of a settlement aimed at resolving a lawsuit alleging that the tech giant tracked millions of U.S. users who believed they were browsing the internet in private.
According to court documents filed on Monday in San Francisco federal court, Google has agreed to “delete and/or remediate billions of data records” associated with individuals using the Chrome browser’s incognito mode, pending approval by a judge.
“This settlement marks a significant milestone in holding dominant technology companies accountable for their transparency in data collection and utilization practices,” stated attorney David Boies in the filing.
A hearing scheduled for July 30 before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will determine whether the proposed settlement, which would allow Google to avoid a trial in the class-action suit, is approved.
While the settlement does not involve monetary damages, it provides an option for Chrome users who feel aggrieved to pursue separate legal action against Google for compensation. The original lawsuit, filed in June 2020, sought damages of at least $5 billion.
“We are glad to resolve this lawsuit, which we have always considered to be without merit,” said Google spokesperson Jorge Castaneda in a statement. “We are committed to removing outdated technical data that was never associated with specific individuals or used for personalization purposes.”
The lawsuit targeted the “Incognito Mode” feature in Chrome, alleging that it misled users into believing their online activities were not being tracked by Google. Internal emails presented during the lawsuit revealed that Google was indeed monitoring users in incognito mode to measure web traffic and serve targeted ads.
