Google agreed to destroy billions of data records to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the internet use of people who thought they were browsing privately.
Terms of the settlement were filed on Monday in the Oakland, California federal court, and require approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs valued the accord at more than $5 billion, and as high as $7.8 billion. Though users will not receive damages, they may still sue individually for damages.
The class action began in 2020, covering millions of Google users who used private browsing since June 1, 2016.
Users alleged that Google's analytics, cookies, and apps let the Alphabet unit improperly track people who set Google's Chrome browser to "Incognito" mode and other browsers to "private" browsing mode.
They said this turned Google into an "unaccountable trove of information" by letting it learn about their friends, favorite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and the "most intimate and potentially embarrassing things" they hunt for online.
Under the settlement, Google will update disclosures about what it collects in "private" browsing, a process it has already begun. It will also let Incognito users block third-party cookies for five years.
"The result is that Google will collect less data from users' private browsing sessions and that Google will make less money from the data," the plaintiffs' lawyers wrote.
Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to court papers, Google supports final approval of the settlement but disagrees with the plaintiffs' "legal and factual characterizations."
David Boies, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in a statement called the settlement "a historic step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies."
A preliminary settlement had been reached in December, advertising a scheduled Feb. 5, 2024 trial. Terms were not disclosed at the time. The plaintiffs' lawyers plan to later seek unspecified legal fees payable by Google.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Drone Footage Of Bhole Baba's Massive Ashram In UP's Mainpuri
Google Photos Crosses 10 Billion Download Milestone on the Play Store After Apple's Success, Google Set To Manufacture Pixel Phones In India Google Chrome for Android May Soon Read Webpages for You Even When Minimised: Report New UK PM Keir Starmer Changed Labour Party's Stance On Kashmir Days After Hathras Tragedy, An On-Camera Statement From 'Bhole Baba' Actor Accused Of Cheating By Live-In Partner, 'Drugs' Angle In His Defence UP Board 10th, 12th Compartment Exam Date Released, Check Details Actor Accused Of Cheating By Live-In Partner, 'Drugs' Angle In His Defence How A Buffalo Solved A Problem That A Village Panchayat Couldn't In UP Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.