Google Agrees to Delete Incognito Mode Browsing Data in $5 Bn Settlement

Google has agreed to destroy "billions" of records it collected on users' private internet browsing as part of a $5 billion class action lawsuit settlement.

The tech giant will delete all data collected during and before December 2023 that was obtained from users browsing in "incognito mode" on Google Chrome and other browsers. According to court documents, it includes "billions of event-level data records" reflecting people's private browsing activities.

Google also committed to changing Chrome's default settings so that third-party cookies will no longer be collected during private browsing sessions for at least the next five years. The company will also delete data points to identify private browsing sessions and label that data as private.

The settlement comes after a lawsuit was filed in 2020 accusing Google of improperly tracking users' internet use even when they were browsing privately. Users alleged that Google collected data that allowed it to learn intimate details about their lives, which violated privacy laws.

While Google did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, it agreed to update its disclosures around private browsing data collection going forward. The company will also pay plaintiffs' attorneys' fees, but individual Chrome users will not automatically receive monetary damages unless they separately file lawsuits.

A Google spokesperson said the company was pleased to settle but maintained its data practices were legal. It faces continued litigation as at least 50 private user lawsuits have already been filed in California.