Google Settles $5B Privacy Lawsuit: Allegations of Secretly Tracking Internet Use

Google, owned by Alphabet, has reached a settlement in a lawsuit claiming that it unlawfully monitored the internet activity of millions of people who believed their browsing was private. 

The proposed class action's trial, set for February 5, 2024, has been put on hold by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, following the preliminary settlement agreement between Google and the consumers' lawyers.

The lawsuit, which sought at least $5 billion in damages, has not disclosed the settlement terms. However, the lawyers have agreed to a binding term sheet through mediation and anticipate presenting a formal settlement to the court for approval by February 24, 2024.

The plaintiffs alleged that Google's analytics, cookies, and apps allowed the company to track their online activities, even when using Google's Chrome browser in "Incognito" mode or other browsers in "private" browsing mode. They claimed that this turned Google into an "unaccountable trove of information," revealing details about their friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits, and potentially embarrassing online searches.

Filed in 2020, the lawsuit covered millions of Google users from June 1, 2016, onwards, seeking a minimum of $5,000 in damages per user for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws.

- CyberBeat