Google to wipe user data collected in Incognito mode

Google will destroy the data of millions of users it collected while they were browsing the internet in Chrome’s Incognito mode.

The move aims to resolve a class-action lawsuit brought in California, that accused the company of invading people’s privacy by gathering their data when they thought they were browsing privately.

The lawsuit sought $5bn in damages, but Google has instead agreed to delete billions of data records it has collected. It will wipe data from around the world, not just the US.

Any data it can’t delete must be ‘de-identified’ so it can’t be used to identify individuals.

Google will also continue to be more transparent about how Incognito mode works. For example, it has changed the wording when you launch Incognito to say that it “won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services that they use, including Google” (see screenshot).

Privacy campaigners have long argued that while Incognito mode stops browsing history being saved on the PC being used, Google should be clearer that websites can still track your activity.

Lawyer David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, which filed the lawsuit, said the deal is a “historic step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies”.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said that it’s “pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we always believed was meritless”.

“We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization,” he added.

Individuals can still file claims for damages in the California state court. The deal will now go to the court for approval.