Google to Destroy Billions of “Incognito Mode” Records

Google has accepted to destroy and de-identify billions of records of web browsing data derived from users using its private browsing “Incognito mode”.

This move is part of a settlement filed to federal court on Monday in a case over the company’s secret tracking of web activity.

Once approved by a California federal judge, the settlement could apply to over 130 million Google users.

Google account holders in 2020 filed a lawsuit, accusing the company of illegally tracking their behaviour through the private browsing feature.

According to Monday’s court filing, the proposal is valued at $5 billion, reached at by determining the value of data Google has stored and would be forced to destroy and the data it would be prevented from collecting.

Google would need to address data collected in private browsing mode in December 2023 and earlier. Any data that is not outright deleted must be de-identified.

José Castañeda ,Google spokesperson said in a statement that the company is “pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we always believed was meritless.”

Though the plaintiffs valued the proposed settlement at $5 billion, which was the amount they originally sought in damages, Castañeda said that they are “receiving zero.” The settlement does not include damages for the class, though individuals can file claims.