(DailyChive.com) – On Thursday, December 28, 2023, lawyers announced that Google had agreed to settle a $5 billion lawsuit. The tech giant faced accusations of improperly tracking the personal data of millions of individuals using the private browsing feature in its Chrome browser.
During the mediation process, both parties confirmed the approval of a crucial agreement. They will submit the agreement to a federal judge in Oakland, California, for final approval by no later than February 24, 2024.
While the settlement details were not disclosed, the plaintiffs had initially claimed damages of at least $5 billion. They argued that Google could track users’ online activity through its analytics and other tools, even when users believed they were browsing privately.
The lawsuit asserted that Google had created a collection of information, ranging from harmless details like shopping habits and hobbies to potentially embarrassing content, forming an unaccountable repository. Google denied any wrongdoing.
If the settlement is not reached, the proposed class-action suit is scheduled for trial on February 5. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers temporarily halted the trial for a final review. In August, Rogers rejected Google’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.
The lawyers representing the plaintiffs sought to secure a minimum of $5,000 in damages for each user, claiming violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws dating from June 1, 2016.
Attempts to reach Google for a comment proved ineffective, as they have yet to respond promptly to any comment request. Google is currently facing several ongoing legal challenges, including antitrust cases focused on different aspects of its extensive business empire.
In January, Judge James Donato of the US District Court will hold hearings to explore possible solutions after a federal jury concluded that Google unlawfully controlled a monopoly via its Android app store and the closely linked in-app billing system. Donato has the authority to instruct Google to alter its business practices or potentially break up some of its operations.
In a separate development, Google settled a case with all 50 US states for $700 million. The tech company agreed to modify certain practices in the app store as part of the agreement. However, critics argue that the outcome is weak.
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