Google is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing the giant of illegally violating the privacy of millions of users. This is being done through widespread tracking of your web browsers despite the fact that they are being used incognito or private.
The report suggests that the lawsuit in question seeks at least $ 5 billion. In this, the parent company, Alphabet Inc, is accused of collecting information regarding what people surf the Internet, as well as where they browse despite being in incognito mode.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose, California, Google is collecting data through various means such as Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, as well as other applications and web plugins. This ” helps the search engine get to know users’ friends, their hobbies, as well as their favorite products, their shopping habits, as well as the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things users search for on the Internet, ” the report states.
In addition, the complaint also claims that Google ” cannot continue to participate in the covert and unauthorized collection of data from virtually all Americans with a computer or a phone .”
Incognito mode or private browsing is considered the safest and most intimate method outside of prying eyes. However, its authenticity has been questioned time and time again by security researchers. The lawsuit is currently seeking compensation of $ 5,000 per user for violation of federal wiretapping laws as well as California privacy laws.
