JAKARTA – Google has agreed to destroy billions of recorded data to settle a lawsuit stating that the company is secretly tracking internet users who think they are browsing personally.
The settlement requirements were filed on Monday, April 1, at the federal court of▁tingkatla, California, and require approval from US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers considered the deal to be worth more than 5 billion US dollars (Rp 79.7 trillion), even 7.8 billion US dollars (Rp 124.4 trillion). Although users will not receive compensation, they can still file individual lawsuits to get compensation.
The class action lawsuit began in 2020, including millions of Google users who have used private browsing mode since June 1, 2016.
Users claim that Google’s analytics, cookies, and apps allow Alphabet units to track people who set Google’s Chrome browser to “Incognito” and other browser modes to “private” browsing modes.
They say this makes Google an “unaccountable store of information” by allowing it to know about their friends, favorite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and the “most intimate and potentially embarrassing” things they are looking for online.
In completion, Google will update information about what it collects in “personal” exploration, a process that has already started. Google will also let Incognito users block third-party cookies for five years.
“The result is that Google will collect less data from users’ personal browsing sessions, and Google will get less money from the data,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to court documents, Google supports final approval of the settlement but disagrees with the plaintiffs’ “law assessments and facts”.
David Boies, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement that this settlement was “a historic step in demanding honesty and accountability from the dominant technology company.”
Preliminary settlements were reached in December, which announced a trial scheduled for February 5, 2024. Conditions were not disclosed at the time. Plaintiffs’ lawyers plan to then seek unspecified legal fees that Google has to pay.
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Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
