Google has agreed to delete millions of user’s browsing records as a part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed in 2020.
The case alleged that the Alphabet Inc unit illegally collected data from people using the Chrome web browser in a private incognito browsing mode. While that function allows user to turn off data collection, other Google tools used by websites collected their data anyway.
Google agreed in December to expunge billions of data records according to details made public in a filing at a San Fransisco federal court, as well as saying it made changes to its disclosures to clarify how people’s data is collected. It also agreed to allow incognito mode users to block third-party cookies for the next five years.
While plaintiffs asked for $5 billion in damages, the settlement includes no payment from Google who must pursue damages by filing their own complaints against the company in state courts. About 50 people have done so, according to plaintiff’s lawyers.
The settlement forestalled a trial that was scheduled for February in which a the US Justice Department and a coalition of state attorney general accuse the company of violating antitrust regulations by illegally monopolizing digital advertising , now slated for September. A similar lawsuit from Texas and other states has been scheduled for March 2025.