Current:Home > StocksGoogle warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know. -Wealth Evolution Experts
Google warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know.
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:22:06
Google Chrome has reportedly updated the message that users see when they're in "incognito mode" following the settlement of a $5 billion privacy lawsuit.
Google added a disclaimer that the privacy function still collects user data that websites and services can access, according to the Verge, which said MSPowerUser first spotted the change.
The new message is only visible on the latest version of Google Chrome, the Verge reported. The previous message is still visible for some Chrome users.
Parts of the disclaimer remain untouched like the bullet points that clarifies that websites, employers, schools and internet service providers can view activity. The page also states that browsing history, cookies, site data and information entered in forms are not saved in incognito mode.
Reports:Blood-oxygen sensors to be removed from Apple Watches as company looks to avoid ban
Original and updated incognito mode messages comparison
The previous message reads: "Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won’t see your activity. However, downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved. Learn more."
According to the Verge, the new message reads: "Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved. Learn more.”
The previous message also gave users the option to block third-party cookies that primarily prevents sites from tracking internet activity.
Lawsuit alleged Google spied on users
The update comes after the company agreed on Dec. 28 to settle a $5 billion class-action lawsuit alleging the platform used private browsers to track internet use, according to the Associated Press.
The privacy lawsuit filed in 2020 alleged that Google misled users into thinking their internet activities would be off limits to the company. Plaintiffs also claimed that the company used advertising technologies to catalog their site visits and used an "unaccountable trove of information" under the false perception of privacy.
The settlement still requires approval by a federal judge and AP reported that the final settlement agreement will be presented in court by Feb. 24.
"We’re pleased to resolve this case, which we’ve long disputed, and will provide even more information to users about Incognito Mode," Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement. "Incognito mode in Chrome will continue to give people the choice to browse the internet without their activity being saved to their browser or device."
Google did not respond to USA TODAY's questions about the updated incognito mode disclaimer.
veryGood! (4561)
Related
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- St. Croix tap water remains unsafe to drink as US Virgin Islands offer short-term solutions
- A drought has forced authorities to further slash traffic in Panama Canal, disrupting global trade
- 3 officers acquitted in death of Manny Ellis, who pleaded for breath, to get $500,00 each and leave Tacoma Police Dept.
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Lorne Michaels Reveals Who May Succeed Him at Saturday Night Live
- Kate Middleton Hospitalized After Undergoing Abdominal Surgery
- Minnesota man freed after 25 years in prison files suit over wrongful conviction
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s Daughter Malti Is a Total Lovebug at 2nd Birthday Party
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Montana man pleads guilty to possessing homemade bombs in school threat case
- Yola announces new EP 'My Way' and 6-stop tour to celebrate 'a utopia of Black creativity'
- Family warned school about threats to their son who was shot and killed at graduation, report shows
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- UN: Palestinians are dying in hospitals as estimated 60,000 wounded overwhelm remaining doctors
- Ali Krieger Details Her “New Chapter” After Year of Change
- Former No. 1 tennis player Arantxa Sánchez Vicario guilty of fraud, but will avoid prison
Recommendation
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
ET welcome: Kentucky city beams message into space inviting extraterrestrial visitors
SISTAR19 is back: Members reflect on first new music in a decade, creating 'NO MORE (MA BOY)'
Harsh Israeli rhetoric against Palestinians becomes central to South Africa’s genocide case
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
10-year-old boy from Maryland bitten by shark while on vacation in Bahamas, police say
What to do if your pipes freeze at home, according to plumbing experts
Jordan Love thriving as Green Bay Packers QB: What to know about 2020 first-round pick