Current:Home > StocksGoogle warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know. -Streamline Finance
Google warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know.
View
Date:2025-04-14 16:36:08
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! (1497)
Related
- Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say
- With Tiger Woods as his caddie, Charlie Woods sinks putt to win Notah Begay golf event
- Narcissists can't stand these traits. Here's how to become immune to narcissists.
- Nearly 600 days since Olympic skater's positive drug test revealed, doping hearing starts
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- FTC and 17 states file sweeping antitrust suit against Amazon
- Bachelor Nation's Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs Share Baby Boy's Name and First Photo
- 'They can't buy into that American Dream': How younger workers are redefining success
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- The Academy gifts replacement of Hattie McDaniel's historic Oscar to Howard University
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- September harvest moon: Thursday's full moon will be final supermoon of 2023
- Cars are a major predator for wildlife. How is nature adapting to our roads?
- Supreme Court denies Alabama's bid to use GOP-drawn congressional map in redistricting case
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built real estate empire
- When did *NSYNC break up? What to know before the group gets the band back together.
- Matteo Messina Denaro, notorious Sicilian mafia boss captured after 30-year manhunt, dies in hospital prison ward
Recommendation
Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
Judge refuses to immediately block grant program for Black women entrepreneurs
The New Season: Art from hip hop to Picasso
Get (on) my swamp! You can book Shrek's home on Airbnb this fall
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Las Vegas hospitality workers could go on strike as union holds authorization vote
The dystopian suspense 'Land of Milk and Honey' satisfies all manner of appetites
How Ariana Grande's Inner Circle Feels About Ethan Slater Romance