Google Hit With $5 Billion Lawsuit for Tracking Chrome Incognito Browser Users
Chrome Incognito browser and its privacy protection are being challenged in a California court. Google is being sued for $5 billion in a proposed class action lawsuit. The filing claims that the Google Chrome is illegally tracking and collecting data from people using Chrome Incognito mode. The case will try to prove that Google violates federal wiretapping and California privacy laws with its relentless tracking of internet user behavior across on the internet across all of it products.
According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Google harvests data through its products – Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, other applications, plugins, and smartphone apps. Users do not have to click on a paid advertisement to enable the tracking. Even Chrome Incognito mode is collecting information about what content people view online, the websites they visit, and what videos they watch.
Google uses the data collected from users to develop audiences based on factors like location, online behaviors, interests, age, income, and past purchases to name a few. These aggregate groups of audiences are made available for purchase to advertisers who use them for future ad targeting.
The lawsuit seeks at least $5,000 in damages per user for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws.
Chrome web browser is the most widely used web browser in the world. According numbers reported by Statista, in March 2020, Chrome as 63.6 percent of the web browser market share globally, and 47.91 percent in the United States. Next in line is Safari web browser with just over 17 percent of the global market share but 36.8 percent in the Unites States.
What is Incognito Mode in Google Chrome?
However, you aren’t invisible. Going incognito doesn’t hide your browsing from your employer, your internet service provider, or the websites you visit.” … Basically, incognito mode just means that the browser doesn’t save cookies, temporary internet files or your browsing history when you are in incognito mode
How Do I Go Incognito?
Using Chrome Incognito browser allows you to use the internet in private.
- Open Chrome web browser on your laptop or computer
- In the upper right corner of your screen (at the right side of the address bard)
- Click the vertical three dots menu
- From the menu, select New incognito window
A new window will open up and inform you that “You’ve gone incognito”
How Do I Go Incognito on My Android Phone?
To browse in private from your phone using Chrome Incognito browser you will have to open another tab.
- On an Android phone open the Chrome app
- In the upper right corner of your screen tap the three vertical dots to open a menu
- From the menu, select New incognito tab
A new Chrome Incognito tab will pop open.
Is Incognito Mode Really Safe?
Chrome Incognito does not save cookies, temporary internet files or your browsing history from your web browsing session, but users are not completely safe from tracking. Your Internet service provider, or ISP, can still see which websites you visited. Your employer can still monitor your activity if you are using your workplace internet connection or virtual private network (VPN). The same holds true for school networks. Your school can see what websites you visited unless you use your own VPN – try IPVanish for getting around blocked content a work or school.
Although Chrome Incognito does not save cookies after the browser sessions closed any files, images, or videos you download from a website can still remain on your computer and make it close about which websites you visited.
Alternate browsers that actually safeguard your privacy include Brave browser and Tor web browser. About fire Fox does help block add and some trackers if you’re logged into any Google account then you can be tracked.
