Google faces $5bn lawsuit on tracking Chrome users in ‘incognito mode’

Browsers have always offered an important option of ‘Incognito Mode’ which allows additional privacy during which the content being browsed is not recorded and neither are any cookies stored.

Anything browsed within this mode will not be gathered as information that is supplied to advertisers.

But a $5bn lawsuit against Google alleges that this might not have been the case with its Chrome browser.

The new class action lawsuit includes a large number of plaintiffs, with the compensation distributed to the persons affected by the order, even if they are not involved directly in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Google collects users’ data even when they are using incognito mode irrespective of the safeguards they undertake to protect their data privacy.

Google has said that it will fight the lawsuit and that while incognito mode gives users the chance to browse the internet without the activity being saved to the device or browser, the incognito tab clearly shows that websites a user visits might still be able to collect information about the browsing activity even when incognito mode is activated.

Currently, the lawsuit demands compensation of no less than $5bn, with demands for compensation of $5,000 per person affected by Google’s policy on collecting information.

The lawsuit requires the approval of a judge to be classified as a class action lawsuit.

If it does receive the necessary approvals to proceed, it is more likely that it will end up with a settlement that is much smaller than the original demands, as is common in cases of this nature.

This story originally appeared on MENA Tech