Google failed to evade incognito surveillance lawsuit

Google has failed to close a lawsuit in which it is accused of secretly collecting a lot of data about users, even if they use incognito mode in the Chrome browser, hoping to maintain confidentiality.

Consumers who filed a class action lawsuit in the United States claim that even when they turn off data collection in Chrome, other Google tools used by websites end up collecting their personal information. On Friday, Google’s request to discontinue the case was denied.

“The court concluded that Google does not notify users that it is involved in the alleged collection of data while the user is in private browsing mode,” – said in the ruling of the US District Court for the Northern District of California Lucy Koh.

The decision comes as Google and Apple are being scrutinized by lawmakers regarding their data collection practices.

“We strongly dispute these claims and we will vigorously defend ourselves,” Google spokesman Jose Castaneda reacted to the judge’s decision. – Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the ability to browse the web without saving your actions in the browser or on the device. As we clearly state, every time you open a new incognito tab, websites may collect information about your Internet activity during your session. ”

Moreover, Google insists that the plaintiffs agreed to the company’s privacy policy, which explicitly talks about data collection.

“Google also makes it clear that ‘incognito’ does not mean ‘invisible’ and that user actions during this session may be visible to the websites they visit, as well as to any third-party analytics or advertising services that use the websites they visit. “, – said in the appeal of Google to the court.