Google has told Mobile World Live (MWL) it would continue to vigorously defend itself from an allegation of secretly collecting data from users employing a privacy feature on its Chrome browser, after a US court reportedly dismissed a move to block legal action over the matter.
Jose Castaneda, a representative of the search giant, told MWL the company disputed the claims, arguing Google “clearly” stated “websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session” when a user opens an Incognito tab in Chrome.
He explained Incognito provided users “the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device”.
Bloomberg reported a federal judge rejected the Alphabet-owned subsidiary’s plea to dismiss a complaint filed in June 2020 stating the company failed to inform users about its practice of gathering data from users employing the Incognito feature.
The plaintiffs argue Google wrongfully collected data from millions of users through its Analytics and Ad Manager services along with smartphone apps, and are seeking damages which could total at least $5 billion.
