Google agrees to settle lawsuit alleging it tracks Incognito users

If you think using the private browsing option will help keep unwanted ads at bay, think again. Google agreed to settle a $5 billion consumer privacy lawsuit yesterday for tracking user’s data while in Chrome’s Incognito mode.

Plaintiffs of the lawsuit filed in 2020 allege that even though Google promised Chrome web browser’s Incognito mode would give users privacy, the company’s analytic tools tracked online activity.

Documents submitted by lawyers show internal email exchanges among Alphabet executives that reportedly indicated the company tracking browser usage of customers even while using the private mode to measure web traffic and sell ads.

The settlement amount isn’t public yet, but lawyers on both sides say they will undergo mediation and submit a final amount for approval by or before February 24.

Initially, the lawsuit aimed to recover at least $5,000 in damages per user for millions of customers.