Google has been on a settlement spree in recent months, resolving its fourth case in four months on Tuesday. The tech giant agreed to delete billions of data records it compiled about millions of Chrome browser users in a lawsuit that accused the company of misleading users by tracking their online activity in Chrome’s Incognito mode.
This settlement comes as Google races to settle a backlog of lawsuits ahead of major antitrust showdowns with the Justice Department later this year. Since December, Google has spent well over $1 billion to settle various lawsuits, including claims of strong-arming app makers, improperly sharing users’ private information, and stealing patent designs.
In the latest settlement, Google has committed to rewriting its disclosures to inform users that it collects private browsing data and will maintain a change to Incognito mode that blocks third-party cookies by default for the next five years. This move aims to provide additional privacy for Incognito users while limiting the amount of data Google collects from them.
While Google will not pay plaintiffs as part of the settlement, individuals have the option to sue the company for damages. Google has stated that the lawsuit was meritless and that they are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual.
The settlement has been praised by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, led by high-profile attorney David Boies, who stated that it stops Google from surreptitiously collecting user data worth billions of dollars. A trial that was scheduled to start in early February was avoided as the parties reached an agreement to settle.
Overall, this settlement marks another step in Google’s efforts to address legal challenges as it prepares to face the Justice Department in antitrust showdowns.
