Name: Judge rules $5 billion Google Chrome Incognito mode lawsuit can go forward
Brand: arstechnica.com
SKU: arstechnica-com-285
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Judge rules $5 billion Google Chrome Incognito mode lawsuit can go forward

preview

US District Judge Lucy Koh has ruled that a class-action lawsuit against Google's Incognito tracking policies can go forward, reports. The lawsuit contends that Chrome's private browsing "Incognito" mode should also stop Google's server-side tracking and that Google's failure to cease such tracking violates federal wiretap laws. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion, or $5,000 per violation for "likely" millions of users.Google attempted to get the lawsuit thrown out on the basis of Chrome's Incognito explainer, a message that shows every time you start up Incognito mode and explains that "your activity might still be visible to websites you visit."That was not enough for the judge, however. "The court concludes that Google did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode,” Judge Koh wrote.Here's the crux of :Google promises consumers that they can “browse the web privately” and stay in “control of what information [users] share with Google.” To prevent information from being shared with Google, Google recommends that its consumers need only launch a browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox in “private browsing mode.” Both statements are untrue. When users undertake either—or both—of the aforementioned steps, Google continues to track, collect, and identify their browsing data in real time, in contravention of federal and state laws on wiretapping and in violation of consumers’ rights to privacy.“We strongly dispute these claims and we will defend ourselves vigorously against them,” a Google spokesperson told Bloomberg after the ruling. “Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the Internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new Incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session.”Incognito mode doesn't use your existing cookie store and, at the end of the session, dumps any cookies, history, and autofill data that were generated—that's it. It doesn't change the way websites work. If the message on the Incognito "new tab" page isn't enough for you, it also links to a "" page that graphically spells out the details in several paragraphs. Whether that's enough for Google to dodge this lawsuit is something the company will have to hash out in court.You must to comment.

US District Judge Lucy Koh has ruled that a class-action lawsuit against Google's Incognito tracking policies can go forward, reports. The lawsuit contends that Chrome's private browsing "Incognito" mode should also stop Google's server-side tracking and that Google's failure to cease such tracking violates federal wiretap laws. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion, or $5,000 per violation for "likely" millions of users.Google attempted to get the lawsuit thrown out on the basis of Chrome's Incognito explainer, a message that shows every time you start up Incognito mode and explains that...

public

Ron Amadeo

Ars Technica is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Many of the site's writers are postgraduates and some work for research institutions. Articles on the website are written in a less-formal tone than those in traditional journals. Ars Technica was privately owned until May 2008, when it was sold to Condé Nast Digital, the online division of Condé Nast Publications.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_Technica

arstechnica.com

Credible

Speculation

Anecdotal Evidence

Generalization

Stacking the Deck

Appeal to Authority

Straw Man

Slippery Slope

Emotional Appeal

Red Herring

False Dilemma

Illogical

Moral Equivalency

Ad Hominem

Correlation w/o Causation

Semantics

Begging the Question

Faulty Analogy

Non Sequitur

Bandwagon

Dogmatism

Failing Occam's Razor

Biased

Pure Opinion

Hit Piece

Racial Bias

National Bias

Religious Bias

Financial Incentive

Political Agenda

Gender Bias

Misused Image/Video

Study Misinterpreted

Mistake

Misused Term

Science Misrepresented

Factual Error

Satire

Surface Level

Lack of Reliable Sources

Sensational

Not Credible

Investigative

Balanced

Well Sourced

Great Context

sports

entertainment

U.S.

international

business

technology

science

culture

politics

media

health

Judge rules $5 billion Google Chrome Incognito mode lawsuit can go forward

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS