Google agrees to destroy the web browsing history data of millions of users as part of a class-action settlement that accused it of tracking many people without their knowledge. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and pointed the finger at Google for deceiving users about Chrome's activities for those browsing in private mode. According to the lawsuit, Mountain View did not adequately disclose the data that was being collected while browsing 'incognito'. To resolve the dispute, Google has pledged to delete data improperly collected for millions of users and to update its communications on what data is collected, as well as offering users the option to disable cookies from third parties. The settlement does not include damages for individual users, but allows them to ask for them.
“This settlement is a historic step in demanding greater honesty and responsibility from technology companies,” said David Boies, the lawyer who represented the users in the legal action, referring to the retroactive deletion of data that Google is committed to proceeding with pr Chrome, its search engine and the basis of its profitable advertising business. The plea agreement potentially affects millions of Google users who have browsed in private mode since 2016 and was reached preliminarily in December to avoid trial. The prosecution had presented hard evidence for Google, including an email exchange in which chief marketing officer Lorraine Twohill warned CEO Sundar Pichai in 2019 that the 'incognito' browsing mode should not be called 'private' as this fueled possible misunderstandings.
The agreement eliminates at least one legal headache for Google. The company is in fact committed to defending itself on multiple fronts. The Department of Justice has in fact accused it of monopolizing online search and the web advertising market, in one of the largest antitrust cases of the last 25 years which is destined to have profound implications for the search giant and for the American authorities. The spotlight of Silicon Valley is focused on the clash. A victory for Mountain View would be a sigh of relief for the other big tech giants who have ended up in the crosshairs of American antitrust. His defeat, however, would risk inflicting a severe blow on Big Tech that has been pushing Wall Street for months and on which the Biden administration does not intend to let go, especially in an election year.
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