Google settles $5 Billion consumer privacy lawsuit

Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations of tracking data of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately. The object of the lawsuit was the "incognito" mode on Google's Chrome browser that the plaintiffs said gave users a false sense that what they were surfing online was not being tracked by the Silicon Valley tech firm.   

However, internal Google emails revealed in the lawsuit indicated that users in incognito mode were being monitored by the search and advertising giant for web traffic measurement and ad sales. 

In a court filing, the judge confirmed that Google's attorneys reached a preliminary agreement to settle the class-action lawsuit, originally filed in 2020, which alleged that "millions of individuals" were likely affected. 

Plaintiffs' lawyers sought a minimum of $5,000 for each user believed to have been tracked by Google's Google Analytics or Ad Manager services, even when in private browsing mode and not logged into their Google account. While the settlement amount was not disclosed, it is expected to be less than the $5 billion sought in the lawsuit. 

The settlement was reached shortly after Google's request for the case to be decided by a judge was denied. A jury trial was scheduled to commence next year.