tech2 Staff NewsMar 15, 2021 10:05:05 IST
Google’s move to sue the investigative giant of tracking users, even while using incognito mode on Chrome browsers, was rejected by a federal judge. According to the lawsuit, in some cases, Google Analytics or Google Ad Manager sent a “confidential, individual message to Google’s servers in California.” Google argues that users have received enough information about how their activity is tracked in private browsing mode.
Google states that it has made it clear to its users that incognito mode does not mean ‘invisible’, and that their activity while using the mode on the browser may be to be seen on the websites they visit, and to the third party analytics and ad services that those websites use.
Earlier this month, Google announced that it would remove third – party cookies from Chrome. Image Credit: AP
“Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the option to browse the Internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we make clear every time you open a new incognito tab, websites may be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session, ”said Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda when the lawsuit was filed last year.
The federal judge says the lawsuit will continue as Google cannot prove that users have “specifically consented” to being aware of the incognito-mode search.
The lawsuit largely focuses on what Google does to collect and find online activity when users surf the web in private browsing mode. Even when a user is surfing in incognito mode, Google uses other tracking tools that give website publishers and advertisers to keep tabs on which websites the person is on. -user visiting.
The class action lawsuit was filed in June 2020 in U.S. District Court for Northern California District. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Google accounts: Chasom Brown and Maria Nguyen, both of Los Angeles, and William Byatt, a Florida resident.