Summary

  • Google collected data in incognito mode despite suggesting otherwise.
  • A proposed settlement aims to clarify language and delete or de-identify collected data.
  • No monetary payments are involved, though affected users may still file claims.



When you’re online, you’re virtually always leaving some traces, no matter which browser you use. That’s true even when you turn on Chrome’s or any other browser’s incognito mode. However, Google was found to be using misleading language around what incognito mode does in Chrome, and on top of that, the company has been collecting limited data despite people using incognito mode. Google has now vowed to destroy or further de-identify records in a proposed settlement.


The proposed settlement, as covered by The Verge, would also mandate that Google offers a clearer language around what incognito mode achieves and what it doesn’t. This is something Google has already implemented for Chrome in January, when the company added clearer wording when you launch incognito mode. It’s unclear if the company will have to tweak the banner text further.

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The dataset Google offers to delete or make unidentifiable is huge. It’s estimated to be worth about $5 billion, including future revenue the company can’t make based on data from incognito mode. In the proposed settlement, no actual money changes hands, though. Those affected by data collection could still file claims, though.


The settlement is still only a proposal

The issue at the core of the dispute is the fact that Google collected browsing data on people using Chrome’s incognito mode. A number of Chrome users alleged that the company was illegally tracking their browsing behavior despite incognito mode supposedly hindering it from doing so. As part of the settlement, data from more than 130 million users could be affected.


Right now, the idea to delete or de-identify all these records is just a proposal, and it remains to be seen if the two parties will go through with it. As a part of it, Google also vows to deactivate third-party cookies by default for the next five years, though given that the company itself is actively working on phasing out these cookies from Chrome altogether this year, we may never see a return of them in incognito mode.