Google settles $5bn lawsuit for 'private mode' tracking

Google, the globally renowned search engine, has consented to settle a lawsuit in the United States. The lawsuit alleged that Google violated user privacy by tracking their online activities, even when they were browsing in 'private mode'. The class action lawsuit demanded a minimum of $5 billion from Google and its parent company, Alphabet.

Large technology corporations, such as Google, have been subjected to increased scrutiny regarding their practices in the US and globally. The legal representatives for Google and the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to the BBC's requests for comment. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers postponed a scheduled trial for the case in California, following the announcement from the lawyers that they had reached a preliminary settlement.

Earlier this year, Judge Rogers dismissed Google's attempt to have the case thrown out, stating she could not concur that users had given consent to Google collecting information on their browsing activity. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, but it is anticipated that the lawyers will present a formal settlement for the court's approval by February 2024. The class action lawsuit, filed by law firm Boies Schiller Flexner in 2020, asserted that Google had tracked users' activity even when they set the Google Chrome browser to 'Incognito' mode and other browsers to 'private mode'.