Google nears settlement of $5 billion privacy suit
Google has tentatively settled a $5 billion lawsuit accusing the Mountain View tech giant of secretly tracking the internet activities of millions of users who believed its Chrome browser protected their privacy while in “incognito” mode, according to court documents.
The class-action lawsuit, scheduled for a Feb. 5 trial, was temporarily halted by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland on Thursday after a preliminary settlement was reached between Google and the consumers’ lawyers.
The legal action sought at least $5 billion in damages for alleged violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws, averaging $5,000 per plaintiff.
Although the specific terms of the settlement were not revealed, the attorneys stated that they had reached a binding term sheet through mediation.
A formal settlement proposal is expected to be submitted for court approval by Feb. 24.
Neither Google nor the plaintiffs’ lawyers had publicly commented on the settlement by Thursday evening.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2020, claimed that users in “incognito” mode were misled by Google’s Chrome browser, thinking their searches and viewing history were untraceable.
However, legal representatives for the plaintiffs cited internal emails among Google executives, claiming that the company was able to monitor its customers in “Incognito” mode through its analytics and other tools, leading to the creation of an “unaccountable trove of information.”
Google has denied the claims.
Earlier this month, Google settled a lawsuit for $700 million over allegations of anti-competitive practices in its Android app store.
Additionally, Google faces a significant antitrust case over its dominant search engine, with closing arguments scheduled for early May in Washington, D.C.