Current Events > Google Incognito is not as Advertised

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/01/1242019127/google-incognito-mode-settlement-search-history

Google will destroy the private browsing history of millions of people who used "incognito" mode in its Chrome browser as a part of a settlement filed to federal court on Monday in a case over the company's secret tracking of web activity.
For years, Google simply informed users of Chrome's internet browser that "you've gone Incognito" and "now you can browse privately," when the supposedly untraceable browsing option was turned on without saying what bits of data the company has been harvesting.
Yet, according to a 2020 class-action lawsuit, the tech giant continued to scrape searches by hoovering up data about users who browsed the internet in incognito mode through advertising tools used by websites, grabbing "potentially embarrassing" searches of millions of people. Google then used this data to measure web traffic and sell ads.
"Google has made itself an unaccountable trove of information so detailed and expansive that George Orwell could never have dreamed it," wrote lawyer Mark Mao and other plaintiffs' attorneys who sued the company.
As the suit was pending, Google changed the splash screen of incognito mode to state that websites, employers and schools and internet service providers can view browsing activity in incognito mode. But under the deal, Google will have to state that the company itself can also track browsing during incognito mode.
In addition, when users are using incognito mode, Google will by default block third-party companies from tracking peoples' so-called cookies, which is how advertisers glean information about a person's search history.
Class members, who include the tens of millions of people who have browsed using incognito mode, will not receive any monetary damages. But individual users are able to sue Google in California state court to recover money over the covert data tracking, according to the agreement.
In a statement, Google spokesman Jos Castaeda said the company is "happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization." He pointed out that the lawsuit sought $5 billion in damages, but Google will not be making any payment as part of the proposed settlement.
The deal, which averts what could have been a lengthy and costly trial, comes as Google defends itself against lawsuits brought by the Justice Department over the company monopolizing online search and a separate action aimed at Google's advertising business.
Google employees complained to management about incognito
The suit revealed that Google saved the standard and incognito browsing history of users in the same profile. That data was then used to inform personalized ads that the company served up.
"Even when users are browsing the internet in 'private browsing mode,' Google continues to track them," according to the suit. "Google's tracking occurred and continues to occur no matter how sensitive or personal users' online activities are."
Lawyers representing the consumers who sued Google cited internal emails from the company showing employees complaining to management about incognito mode not living up to its name.
"We need to stop calling it incognito and stop using a Spy Guy icon," an engineer wrote to Google colleagues in 2018.
Another Google employee recommended changing the incognito splash page to say: "You are NOT protected from Google."
The suit referenced an email sent by Google's marketing chief, Lorraine Twohill, to CEO Sundar Pichai suggesting that the company was misleading the public about the browsing tool.
"We are limited in how strongly we can market incognito because it's not truly private, thus requiring really fuzzy, hedging language that is almost more damaging," Twohill wrote Pichai in 2019.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers originally set a February trial date for the case, but that was put on hold in light of the agreement hammered out by both parties.
The deal still needs final approval from Gonzalez Rogers.

As long as they don't send it to my mom

Oh yeah... I assumed that "incognito" mode was a lie since at Google we are the product and consumer now. Mining, analyzing, and selling our data is likely the primary focus and means of generating revenue through all their other streams.

Is anyone really surprised? It's freakin google.

Even if it wasn't google, I would have assumed the only real point of private/"incog" browsing in general was not to hide from the browser what you were doing (obviously it can still see what you're doing; you're still using the same program) but more to try to hide what you were doing from other users on the same device.

Stop. Using. Chrome.

I cba to read all of that, but when it comes to private browser modes I was always under the impression that all I was really doing was hiding what I was doing from people that took a cursory look at something like browser history if they accessed my computer.

I kinda figured it was being stored somewhere. Like you couldn't just go incognito and have it be like a vpn and go do a bunch of illegal shit and be totally fine.

I like having my data all over. It'll outlive me.

People hacking porn results is sowing your wild oats in 2025.

It was always as advertised, people are stupid and didn't read what incognito mode did. Edge, Safari, and Firefox's private modes all work the same way, they just don't store local information on the device for that session.

"Class members, who include the tens of millions of people who have browsed using incognito mode, will not receive any monetary damages"

Beyond ridiculous. No prison time either is insane.

Any and all false advertising/excess tracking/fraud/safety violations/wage theft/etc.need GIGANTIC restitution, fines AND prison time.

xsdarknesssx posted...

I cba to read all of that, but when it comes to private browser modes I was always under the impression that all I was really doing was hiding what I was doing from people that took a cursory look at something like browser history if they accessed my computer.

Yes that's correct. It just deletes local data like cookies and history.

If a website decides to log ip addresses or keep fingerprints of users all serverside, incognito does nothing to prevent that.

I thought it was well known that all incognito did was not keep a local browser history and it did nothing to stop the sites you visit tracking you

im pretty sure theres even a note somewhere saying that. Its been ages since Ive used chrome though

Rika_Furude posted...

I thought it was well known that all incognito did was not keep a local browser history and it did nothing to stop the sites you visit tracking you

Its not about the sites you visit tracking. Its about google itself tracking.

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

Its not about the sites you visit tracking. Its about google itself tracking.

Through like google ads and stuff on the sites right? It said in the OP through things like advertising tools used by websites

i always figured Google was tracking everything anyway

No it was Chaos that downloaded that dolphin porn

Um, are we not all aware of this? These things explicitly tell you its only for storing the links on your browser. Its still very easily trackable.

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

Its not about the sites you visit tracking. Its about google itself tracking.

again, what? this has always been obvious

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

No. They have no reason to.

using google

https://i.imgur.com/u9K0Bdj.gif

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Nope

Glad I haven't used it like that since I was a teenager using the family computer

The "homepage" when you open an incognito page says

Others who use this device wont 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.

and it has been either this phrasing or something like this for a very long time. I can't say I really like how much data is being scraped up about internet users all the time but it seems a bit weird to have extreme overreactions to this when it has never been what they promised

kirbymuncher posted...

The "homepage" when you open an incognito page says

and it has been either this phrasing or something like this for a very long time. I can't say I really like how much data is being scraped up about internet users all the time but it seems a bit weird to have extreme overreactions to this when it has never been what they promised

true. confused about the shock/horror people are experiencing from learning about something that has been stated up front the entire time. i thought it was well known that private browsing is only private to your local machine.

Remember when Google's slogan was "Dont be evil"?

lmao

I always figured that since the FBI can get the info to not trust it, so in turn I almost never use it,since it also comes with negatives