Google failed to dismiss damages of over 500 billion yen, over the problem of collecting personal information even in Chrome's 'secret mode'



Google's request to dismiss the proceedings was dismissed for a case in which Google was accused of 'widely tracking individual users' Internet usage information through a web browser set in privacy mode.' As a result, it is pointed out that 'Google faces a huge amount of damages of 5 billion dollars (about 545 billion yen)'.

Google Must Face Suit Over Snooping on'Incognito' Browsing --Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-13/google-must-face-suit-over-snooping-on-incognito-browsing

Judge rules Google has to face lawsuit that claims it tracks users even in Incognito mode --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/13/22329240/judge-rules-google-5-billion-lawsuit-tracking-chrome-incognito-privacy

Google Chrome incognito mode spurs a lawsuit --9to5Google
https://9to5google.com/2021/03/14/google-chrome-incognito-lawsuit/

Some web browsers have a 'secret mode ' that automatically erases privacy-related information such as history and cookies. This feature claims to protect the privacy of the user, but it does not allow completely anonymous web browsing, it is just for web browsing in a blank slate. In fact, Chrome, a Google web browser, has a new tab when using incognito mode that says 'Information activity to the website you visit, your employer (holding your device) or your school, or your internet service provider. It may be known. '



In June 2020, regarding this secret mode, 'Regardless of whether the user clicked on an advertisement provided by Google, data is sent through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and other applications including smartphone apps and website plugins. A class action has been filed stating that it is 'collecting.'

Plaintiff claims that 'Google also collects personal information from browsing in privacy mode', a class action lawsuit seeking damages of about 540 billion yen from Google-GIGAZINE



Plaintiffs claim that Google violates US eavesdropping laws and California privacy law, with damages of at least $ 5,000 per person, for a total of more than $ 5 billion. Request. In response, Google was ready to fight thoroughly and filed a request to dismiss the proceedings as a first move.

Since then, the proceedings have been proceeding over Google's request to dismiss the proceedings, but in February 2021, Judge Lucy Koh, who was in charge of this case, unknowingly posted the visitor's data to Google on the website. Expressed concern about the possibility of disclosure to. We asked Google to explain 'the user information that Google collects from our website and what it is used for.'

Why did the judge comment that Google's data collection was 'confused'? --GIGAZINE



And on March 13, 2021 local time, Judge Ko said, 'While the user was in private browsing mode, he did not notify the user that Google was going to collect the alleged data,' Google requested dismissal of the proceedings. Was rejected. The ruling will force Google to respond to the proceedings in question.

In response to the ruling, a Google spokeswoman said, 'Secret mode is for users to browse the web without holding activity on their browser or device, and the possibility of collecting information is clearly stated. 'There is.' He said he was explicitly displaying a note to the user.

in Software,   Web Service, Posted by darkhorse_log