Google has agreed to a $5 billion settlement in a lawsuit accusing the company of secretly tracking the internet use of millions of individuals who believed their browsing was private.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, postponed the scheduled Feb. 5, 2024 trial after Google and consumers’ lawyers reached a preliminary settlement. Although specific terms were not disclosed, both parties agreed to a binding term sheet through mediation, with plans to present a formal settlement for court approval by Feb. 24, 2024.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020, claimed that Google’s analytics, cookies, and apps allowed the company to track users’ activity even when using Chrome’s “Incognito” mode or other browsers’ “private” browsing mode. The plaintiffs argued that this turned Google into an “unaccountable trove of information,” exposing details about users’ friends, hobbies, favourite foods, shopping habits, and other personal online searches.
In August, Judge Rogers rejected Google’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, emphasizing the uncertainty regarding Google’s binding promise not to collect data during private browsing, citing the company’s privacy policy and statements.
Covering millions of Google users since June 1, 2016, the lawsuit sought at least $5,000 in damages per user for alleged violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws. This settlement adds to Google’s recent legal challenges, including a $630 million payment to U.S. consumers over a Play Store app distribution dispute.
In September, a tentative settlement was reached in a class-action lawsuit highlighting Google’s app distribution monopoly on Android through the Play Store. Moreover, in November 2022, Google initiated a pilot of its user choice billing program in the U.S., allowing developers to use alternative payment methods for in-app purchases.
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