![]() “Once collected, this mountain of data is analyzed to build digital dossiers on millions of consumers, in some cases identifying us by name, gender, age as well as the medical conditions and political issues we have researched online,” the suit argues. The device IP address, geolocation data and user ID are all tracked and recorded by Google, the lawsuit alleges. Google learns exactly what content the user’s browsing software was asking the website to display, and it also transmits a header containing the URL information of what the user has been viewing and requesting online. The plaintiffs allege that even in Incognito mode, Google can see what websites Chrome users visit and collect data “through means that include Google Analytics, Google ‘fingerprinting’ techniques, concurrent Google applications and processes on a consumer’s device,” as well as Google’s AdManager.Īd Manager is a Google service allowing businesses to deliver and report on a company’s web, mobile, and video advertising.Īccording to the lawsuit, more than 70% of all online websites “use one or more of these Google services.” Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that, whenever a user in private browsing mode visits a website that is running Google Analytics or Google Ad Manager, Google’s software scripts on the website "surreptitiously direct the user’s browser to send a secret, separate message to Google’s servers in California.” The plaintiffs, who are Google account holders, alleged the search engine collected their data and distributed and sold it for targeted advertising through a real-time bidding (RTB) system. When a user chooses to use Incognito mode, Google’s web browser is supposed to automatically delete browsing history and cookies at the end of a session. Originally filed in June 2020, the class-action lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion, accusing the Alphabet unit of surreptitiously collecting information about what people view online and where they browse, despite using Incognito mode. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they have a large number of internal Google emails proving executives knew for years “Incognito mode” doesn’t do what it claims. "These private browsing modes protect your browser history from snooping family or household members, but not from the ultimate collection of where you’ve clicked, what you’ve liked, where you’ve purchased – especially if users log into streaming, financial, or any personally identifying account," Trinidad said. Earlier this month, Google settled a lawsuit filed by Arizona's AG for $85 million.įrom a trust perspective, offerings like Incognito mode place users into a false sense of security as it's assumed that Incognito, and private browsing generally, will protect them from the collection of their data, according to Grace Trinidad, research director in IDC's Security & Trust research practice. Google also faces lawsuits related to user privacy from the Department of Justice and attorneys general in several states, including Texas, Washington, DC, and Washington state. In simple terms, privacy modes like Incognito are expected to not track and save data about online searches and websites users visit. Privacy settings in web browsers are intended remove local traces of what websites a user visits, what they search for, and information they’ve filled out in online forms.
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