Google closes deal to avoid billion-dollar lawsuit in which it was accused of secretly tracking users

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According to a class action lawsuit filed in the US, the company’s applications allowed monitoring activities, even with the Chrome browser in incognito or private mode. The Google logo is seen in one of the company’s office complexes in Irvine, California, in the United States Mike Blake/Reuters/File Google reached a deal to avoid a billion-dollar lawsuit in the United States in which it was accused of tracking millions of people who thought they were browsing the internet privately. The plaintiffs alleged that Google’s analytics, cookies and apps allowed them to track their activities even when they set their Chrome browser to “incognito” mode and other browsers to “private” browsing mode. They claimed this turned Google into an “uncontrollable collection of information”, allowing the company to know their friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits and “potentially embarrassing things” they search for online. The trial of the class action filed against the company was scheduled for February 2024, but was suspended this Thursday (28) after lawyers for Google and consumers said they had reached a preliminary agreement. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but lawyers hope to present it for court approval by February 24, 2024. The lawsuit sought at least $5 billion in compensation. What Google says Neither Google nor the plaintiffs’ consumer lawyers immediately responded to requests for comment on Thursday. Last August, when “big tech” unsuccessfully tried to overturn the lawsuit, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said that the company strongly disagreed with the prosecution’s arguments. According to Reuters, he stated that incognito mode in Chrome gives the user the choice to browse the internet without their activity being saved on the browser or device. And the company makes it clear that each time an anonymous tab is opened, websites will be able to collect information about browsing activity during the session.” At the time, judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected dismissing the case because she found no evidence that users consented to Google collecting information about what they saw online because Alphabet, which owns Google, never explicitly told them it would do so. The judge is the same one who suspended the action, after the parties reached an agreement, this Thursday. Read also: Instagram allows you to see your history of likes and comments; see how to access Is spying on your cell phone a crime? Ask your questions Cell Phone Insurance: government service to prevent theft has already blocked more than 4,300 devices Watch the video below and find out what the life of those who sell nudes on the internet is like Behind the scenes, strategies and routine of those who make a living selling sex videos What was popular on Google in 2023? Watch the video to find out The internet searches that were popular in the year 2023

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