Google will still face a class action lawsuit for collecting user data in Chrome

Google will have to join a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of collecting data from Chrome browser users without their consent. The day before, a federal appeals court overturned a trial court’s December 2022 ruling that required it to examine Google’s disclosure policies and determine whether “a reasonable user reading it could have assumed that he or she consented to the data collection.”

Image source: Growtika / unsplash.com

A class action lawsuit filed in 2020 alleges that Google collected data from Chrome users regardless of whether they turned on the synchronization mechanism. This feature allows you to save bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, and other data in your Google Account and makes this information freely available when you sign in to Chrome on other devices. The browser, according to the plaintiffs, “intentionally and unlawfully” sent browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers and unique browser identifiers to Google without users’ express permission. According to Google, they agreed to this by accepting the company’s privacy policy. Trial Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers accepted the defendant’s position and dismissed the lawsuit, finding that “Google adequately disclosed [its privacy policy] and plaintiffs consented to the collection of the data at issue.”

Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. ruled yesterday that the trial judge did not consider whether users actually understood the agreement. The case will be sent to a lower court for retrial. “We do not agree with this decision and are confident that the facts of the case are on our side. Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across devices and has clear privacy controls,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told The Verge. Google will soon stop requiring users to turn on synchronization to access stored information, but, as Mr. Castañeda noted, “this announcement is not related to the legal proceedings.”

admin

Share
Published by
admin

Recent Posts

‘Goodbye, Skype’: Microsoft Shuts Down Service That Brought Video Communications to Millions of People

Skype appeared in the early 2000s, and at the time it seemed like real magic.…

12 minutes ago

Trump Will Make Millions in Cryptocurrency in Just Two Evenings This Month

US President Donald Trump has two cryptocurrency-themed dinners on his calendar this month. One is…

58 minutes ago

“We’ve Got a Chance!”: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Star Delighted with GTA VI Delay

The recent delay of Rockstar Games' open-world crime thriller GTA VI has left fans, analysts,…

58 minutes ago

“We’ve Got a Chance!”: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Star Delighted with GTA VI Delay

The recent delay of Rockstar Games' open-world crime thriller GTA VI has left fans, analysts,…

1 hour ago

Unitree unveils robotic firefighter dog with a fire hose instead of a head

Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics has unveiled a modified version of its four-legged robotic dog…

2 hours ago