Google Faces Revived Lawsuit Over Chrome's Data Collection Practices

US court has revived this four-year-old lawsuit against Google - Times of India

Google will reportedly face a class-action lawsuit in the US over alleged data collection via Chrome. According to a report by Reuters, a US appeals court has revived a 2020 lawsuit by Google Chrome users who said the company collected their personal information without permission. Reversing a December 2022 ruling that dismissed the case against Google earlier, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that the lower court should have assessed whether reasonable Chrome users consented to letting Google collect their data when they browsed online. The court ruling said "The panel reversed the district court's summary judgement in favour of Google, LLC, in a class action alleging that the company surreptitiously collected users' data in violation of various state and federal laws, and remanded for further proceedings,". What the lawsuit says The proposed lawsuit covers Chrome users since July 27, 2016 who did not sync their browsers with their Google accounts. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs alleged that based on the terms of Google's Chrome Privacy Notice, their choice not to sync Chrome with their Google accounts meant that certain personal information would not be collected and used by Google. The lawsuit claims that Chrome "intentionally and unlawfully" collected their data, even after they chose not to synchronise their browsers with their Google accounts. This included Google browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers, and unique browser identifiers without their explicit permission, as claimed in the lawsuit. What Google say Google said in a statement: "We disagree with this ruling and are confident the facts of the case are on our side. Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across their different devices and has clear privacy controls." The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

Google faces revived class action Chrome lawsuit over sync data collection

A federal appeals court has reversed a previous decision, allowing a class action Chrome lawsuit against Google to move forward. The lawsuit accuses the tech giant of collecting user data through its Chrome web browser without their consent. The Chrome lawsuit case stems from allegations that Google's Chrome sync feature, which saves bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, and other data to a user's Google account, collected browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers, and unique browser identifiers without explicit permission. The plaintiffs argue that this data collection was "intentionally and unlawfully" conducted by Google. Google had initially claimed that users consented to the data collection when they accepted the company's privacy policy. However, Judge Milan D. Smith Jr., in the recent decision, stated that the lower court should have reviewed Google's disclosures to determine if a "reasonable user reading them would think that he or she was consenting to the data collection". The appeals court's ruling sends the case back to the lower courts for reconsideration. Google has expressed disagreement with the ruling and maintains that Chrome Sync is designed to help users access their information seamlessly across devices, while also providing clear privacy controls. The development comes as Google prepares to no longer require users to enable Chrome sync to access saved information. However, a Google spokesperson clarified that this change is not related to the ongoing litigation. Key points from the Chrome lawsuit are: Apart from the most recent Chrome lawsuit, Google has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits in recent years. Here are some of the most notable ones: AI training data: In 2024, several artists sued Google, alleging that it used copyrighted work without permission to train its AI models. Data collection: Google has faced lawsuits over its collection and use of user data, including allegations of tracking user activity across the web. Labor practices: Google has faced lawsuits related to labor practices, such as allegations of unfair labor practices and discrimination. Secretive deal exposed between Google and Meta Intellectual property: Google has been involved in disputes over intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks. This is not an exhaustive list of all lawsuits against Google. The company faces a variety of legal challenges due to its size and influence in the tech industry.