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Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion lawsuit alleging it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser to track internet use.

<div><div><div><p><span><strong>SAN FRANCISCO (NEWSnet/AP)</strong> — Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser, along with similar “private” modes in other browsers, to track internet use.</span></p></div></div>
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<div><div><p><span>The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said Google misled users into believing it wouldn’t track internet activities while using incognito mode. It argued Google&#39;s advertising technology and other techniques continued to catalog details of users&#39; site visits and activities, despite their use of supposedly “private” browsing.</span></p></div></div>
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<div><div><p><span>Plaintiffs also claimed Google&#39;s activities yielded an “unaccountable trove of information” about users who thought they had taken steps to protect their privacy.</span></p></div></div>

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<div><div><p><span>The settlement, reached Dec. 28, must be approved by a federal judge. Terms weren’t disclosed, but the suit initially sought $5 billion on behalf of users. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by Feb. 24, 2024.</span></p></div></div>
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