Recently, Google reached a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit that accused Google of secretly tracking the Internet usage of millions of people when they thought they were using "incognito mode."The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion in damages. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but attorneys said they expect to submit a formal settlement agreement for court approval by February 24, 2024.
After nearly four years of lengthy court proceedings, Google is one step closer to reaching a final settlement with the plaintiffs, according to a joint filing submitted to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California.
Last week, a federal court rejected Google's request to exclude substantive evidence, and the two sides reached a settlement. The ruling also denied Google's request to exclude evidence related to other lawsuits and regulations "not at issue in this litigation." In August of this year, Rogers also rejected Google's request for summary judgment.
It is understood that the lawsuit began in 2020 and involves millions of Google users since June 1, 2016. They are seeking at least $5,000 in damages per user because they accuse Google of violating federal wiretapping laws and California privacy laws. They claim that Google's analytics, cookies and apps allow it to track users even in so-called "incognito" mode.
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