Alphabet subsidiary Google has reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging the tech giant secretly tracked customers’ online actions while they thought their browsing was private.
On February 5, 2024, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, postponed the planned trial in the proposed class action following the disclosure of a preliminary settlement by the attorneys representing Google and customers.
The lawsuit, which is requesting at least $5 billion in damages, claims that Google’s analytics, cookies, and apps violated users’ privacy by continuing to follow their behavior even while their browsers were in “private” or “incognito” settings.
Attorneys said that they reached a legally binding term sheet through mediation, while the specifics of the settlement are still confidential. By February 24, 2024, they hope to submit a formal settlement for the court’s approval. Regarding the deal, neither Google nor the plaintiff’s attorneys have yet to comment.
Judge Rogers denied Google’s request to have the lawsuit dismissed in August, pointing out that it was unclear whether Google had committed to refraining from collecting data when browsing privately under penalty of law.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and sought damages of at least $5,000 per user for alleged violations of California privacy laws and federal wiretapping. The case involved “millions” of Google users since June 1, 2016.
