Current:Home > InvestGoogle warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know. -OceanicInvest
Google warns users Chrome's incognito mode still tracks data, reports say. What to know.
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:18:22
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! (52818)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- George Brown, drummer and co-founder of Kool & The Gang, dead at 74
- Notable quotes from former first lady Rosalynn Carter
- Who is playing in the Big 12 Championship game? A timeline of league's tiebreaker confusion
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Blocked from a horizontal route, rescuers will dig vertically to reach 41 trapped in India tunnel
- The lion, the wig and the warrior. Who is Javier Milei, Argentina’s president-elect?
- 3 decades after teen's murder, DNA helps ID killer with a history of crimes against women
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- New York Jets bench struggling quarterback Zach Wilson
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Who is playing in the Big 12 Championship game? A timeline of league's tiebreaker confusion
- Taylor Swift postpones Saturday Rio show due to high temperatures
- Live updates | Shell hits Gaza hospital, killing 12, as heavy fighting breaks out
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- How to avoid talking politics at Thanksgiving? Consider a 'NO MAGA ALLOWED' sign.
- Catholic priest sentenced to life for sex trafficking boys, manipulating opioid addictions
- Taylor Swift fan dies at the Eras Rio tour amid heat wave. Mayor calls for water for next shows
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
LGBTQ+ advocates say work remains as Colorado Springs marks anniversary of nightclub attack
Rosalynn Carter, former first lady, dies at age 96
Did police refuse to investigate a serial rapist? Inside the case rocking a Tennessee city
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Miscarriages, abortion and Thanksgiving – DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy talk family and faith at Iowa roundtable
Reactions to the death of Rosalynn Carter, former first lady and global humanitarian
Fires in Brazil threaten jaguars, houses and plants in the world’s largest tropical wetlands