Will Google weather the legal storm?

Details of the agreement were announced on April 1, more than three months after Google and lawyers representing users announced they had settled a June 2020 class action lawsuit related to its controls. Chrome privacy controls.

The lawsuit accuses Google of using tracking tools to collect data on Chrome users even when they use incognito mode, which is designed to protect privacy. Google has strongly objected to this allegation and tried to have the lawsuit dismissed. However, in August 2023, judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Google's request and allowed the lawsuit to continue.

After four months of negotiations, Google and lawyers representing Chrome users have reached an agreement to settle a privacy lawsuit. Under this agreement, Google will delete billions of personal records stored in its data centers; provide more clarity about Chrome's incognito mode and how it works; Apply controls to limit the collection of users' personal information.

The agreement needs to be approved by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in a hearing scheduled for July 30 in federal court in Oakland, California.

Question about Chrome user rights

Google has reached an agreement to settle a privacy class action lawsuit related to the Chrome browser. Under this agreement, Chrome users will not receive any compensation.

Google said it was "pleased" to resolve the lawsuit and affirmed that it always believed the lawsuit was "meritless." The company claims it was only required to delete old personal technical data that was not personally relevant and was never used for personalization purposes.

However, lawyers representing Chrome users have a different view. They said the deal was a "huge win" for personal privacy in an era of increasing digital surveillance.

Google will have to "spend money" to protect user data

According to lawyers' assessments, the value of the settlement of the privacy class action lawsuit related to the Chrome browser could range from 4.75 billion USD to 7.8 billion USD. This number is calculated based on the potential advertising revenue that Google could gain from using personal data collected from Chrome users.

However, this agreement does not protect Google from other lawsuits related to similar issues. Users can still file private lawsuits to seek damages from Google in state courts across the US.

Data security expert at Dorsey & Whitney Austin Chambers appreciated the settlement of the Chrome lawsuit. He said the deal could have a "dramatic impact" on how personal information is collected online in the future. At the same time, this agreement prevents companies from illegally profiting from user data and forcing them to delete data in a complicated and expensive way. For some companies, this could significantly impact the products built on top of that data.

In addition to current challenges, Google also faces many potential legal risks that could seriously affect its business operations in the future. The US Department of Justice accused Google of abusing its search engine monopoly, and it is likely that a case on this issue will be brought to trial in early May.

The outcome of this lawsuit could be a turning point, shaping Google's strategy and direction in the future.

Micah Soto

Update 03 April 2024