Google has agreed to expunge private browsing data of millions of users to resolve a 2020 class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Google misled users by allowing websites to track browsing activity in Chrome's incognito mode, despite assurances of privacy.
Private browsing, also known as incognito mode, is a widely used feature in all browsers including Google’s Chrome. It is used by millions of users seeking to keep their online activity private.
The lawsuit contended that Google's disclosures regarding data collection in this mode were inadequate, as a result many users didn’t know that websites could still access their information for targeted advertising.
As part of the legal settlement, Google has also assured that it will enhance disclosures in Chrome browser to provide more information about the data collected in incognito mode by websites and services used by them. Some of these changes have already been previewed in the Canary build of Chrome in January.
In addition to this, Google will also provide users with an option to block all third party cookies in incognito mode for a period of five years.
The settlement doesn’t require Google to pay any damages, but lawyers representing the plaintiffs believe that they can file individual lawsuits for compensation.
While Google maintains the collected data was never linked to individual users, the settlement signifies a shift in its approach to data collection practices. The big tech firm is already in the process of phasing out third party cookies and expects to expand it to all Chrome users by the second half of this year.
Google has tried several alternatives to third party cookies. In 2019, it proposed FLOC or federated learning of cohorts, which was less problematic than third party cookies but it could still be used to identify users through fingerprinting. Google has now replaced FLOC with Topics API (application programming interface), which will show ads based on interest-based categories and will not track users across websites.
Third-party cookies are files that are created by websites and used by advertisers to track browsing activity of users across different websites and show them more targeted ads. However, the practice has drawn a lot of backlash from privacy advocates and regulators in several countries, forcing Google to explore less intrusive ways to help advertisers show personalized ads.
Apple’s Safari was one of the first mainstream browsers to disable third-party cookies in 2020 and has rolled out several new privacy features that prevent apps from tracking users without their consent.
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