Lawsuit invokes Orwell, seeks at least $5,000 in damages for each of millions of users.
A trio of Google users has filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in damages for millions of people allegedly tricked into giving up their web-use data by promises of “private browsing” in “Incognito mode.”
“Through its pervasive data tracking business, Google knows who your friends are, what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you watch, where and when you like to shop, what your favorite vacation destinations are, what your favorite color is, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet — regardless of whether you follow Google’s advice to keep your activities ‘private,’” said the suit filed in U. S. District Court in San Jose. “Google has made itself an unaccountable trove of information so detailed and expansive that George Orwell could never have dreamed it.”
The suit centers on language the Mountain View digital advertising giant uses to explain incognito mode, with the plaintiffs highlighting a statement that the mode allows users “to browse the web privately” and Google pointing to advisories to users that explain “private” browsing doesn’t mean data isn’t collected.
Google said it strongly disputes the claims in the lawsuit and would defend itself vigorously.
