Security News > 2020 > June > Google Faces Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking Users in Incognito Mode

Google faces a $5 billion class-action lawsuit over claims that it has been collecting people's browsing information without their knowledge even when using the incognito browsing mode that's meant to keep their online activities private.

The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, alleges that Google compiles user data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and other applications and website plug-ins, including smartphone apps, regardless of whether users click on Google-supported ads, according to a report in Reuters.

It is still possible to detect incognito mode in Chrome-as well as other Chromium-based browsers, such as Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave, which share the core of Chrome's codebase, according to the report, which said Google still has not set a timeframe to fix the issue.

In January, Google researchers said they identified a number of security flaws in Safari's private-browsing feature-called Intelligent Tracking Protection-that allow people's browsing behavior to be tracked by third parties.

Longtime Google critic, author, psychologist and researcher for the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology Dr. Robert Epstein also took to Twitter to reiterate his longstanding public opinion over Google's privacy violations.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/google-faces-privacy-lawsuit-over-tracking-users-in-incognito-mode/156269/