Google is facing a $5 billion class-action dispute in the US over the claims that its Chrome web browser is collecting user information even in Incognito mode. The lawsuit seeks at least $5,000 of damages per user according to violations of US wiretapping laws, and local privacy laws in California.
The complaint was registered in a federal court in San Jose, California, claiming that Google gathers data for analytics and Google supported ads purposes even on Incognito Mode.
Google records and collects user browsing history and other web activity behaviour data even while the user is on private browsing, the complainants allege.
According to the source, Google has denied the charges. In an official statement, Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said “We strongly dispute these claims, and we will defend ourselves vigorously against them”.
He didn’t dispute that some websites might still access browsing data even in Incognito mode. “As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might collect information about your browsing activity”, he said.
It’s worth noting here that while Incognito mode in Chrome and Private Browsing in Firefox gives you the choice to surf the internet without your activity being admitted, it is not the magic potion for complete digital anonymity.
That’s because your ISP (internet service provider), the government, or even some websites and online services might still track you based on other identifiers, like your MAC Address, IP address, device ID, browser agent, and other classifying factors.
Also Read :
