Google has been on a settlement spree in recent months, racing to resolve a backlog of lawsuits ahead of major antitrust showdowns with the Justice Department later this year. The tech giant recently settled its fourth case in four months, agreeing to delete billions of data records it compiled about millions of Chrome browser users.
The lawsuit, Chasom Brown, et al. v. Google, alleged that the company misled users by tracking their online activity in Chrome’s Incognito mode, which users believed would be private. Google has spent well over $1 billion since December to settle various lawsuits as it gears up to defend itself against the Justice Department’s scrutiny of its search engine and advertising business.
As part of the settlement, Google has committed to rewriting its disclosures to inform users that it collects private browsing data. The company will also maintain a change to Incognito mode that blocks third-party cookies by default for the next five years, enhancing privacy for users.
While Google will not pay plaintiffs as part of the settlement, individuals have the option to sue the company for damages. Google has denied the merit of the lawsuit, with a spokesman stating that the plaintiffs originally sought $5 billion but are receiving zero in the settlement.
The settlement has been seen as a victory for privacy advocates, with lead attorney David Boies stating that it stops Google from surreptitiously collecting user data worth billions of dollars. The resolution of this case comes as Google prepares to face further legal challenges in the coming months.
