$5 billion class action lawsuit against Google: also tracked 'incognito browsing''

June 3, 2020   

A $5 billion class action lawsuit filed in recent days reveals that the "Incognito" window does not protect users' privacy - and Google continues to collect data and track the search history of users who use the option that supposedly offers complete anonymity. This is reported by Channel 7. According to the law firm Boyce Schiller & Flexner, which filed the class action lawsuit in California, this is an illegal move by Google that led Internet users to believe that their browsing data and preferences remained confidential, but in fact they were being monitored. The lawyers filed the lawsuit on behalf of millions of users who used this option starting on June 1, 2016. According to the Channel 7 report, Google itself denies that it ever promised that the "Incognito" window allows anonymity and privacy from collecting data on the user's browsing preferences. A Google spokesperson said: "As we clearly state, whenever you open your search engine in 'incognito' mode, websites will be able to collect information about your browsing and search activity. Collecting a user's search history, even in incognito mode, can allow website owners to better evaluate the performance of their site, content, marketing and products they offer.".