Google Sued for Incognito Mode Tracking

An American court will hear the class action lawsuit filed against Google. The plaintiffs accuse the corporation of not being clear enough about the limitations of incognito mode in the Chrome browser and are demanding $5 billion.

IN A NUTSHELL:

A class action lawsuit against Google - concerning incognito mode in the Chrome browser - will be heard in a US court;
The plaintiffs are seeking $5 billion for violating users' privacy by failing to inform them about what data is collected when the mode is activated.

Engadget reports that US judge Lucy Koh has refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against Google - thus, it will have to be heard by the court. The case concerns Google's failure to clearly inform users about what information is collected about them when Chrome's incognito mode is active.

Google is accused of misleading customers by claiming that they do not have to worry about their privacy when browsing the web in incognito mode, when in fact the company monitors their use of Chrome and collects data about them. The company disagrees, claiming that users are aware that Google collects certain information and that incognito mode does not equal web invisibility.

"We strongly dispute these claims and we will defend ourselves vigorously 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," Google spokesman José Castaneda said in a comment for Engadget.

It's hard to say what the lawsuit's result willbe - the plaintiffs are asking for as much as $5 billion (at least $5,000 for each of the victims), but similar cases often end up with verdicts much smaller than the initial demands. Of course, there is no certainty that Google will lose in the court at all - the company's arguments are not without merit.