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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Google to flush billions of private browsing records in settlement

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 2 Apr 2024 11:35
3 Min Read

A hearing is set for July 30 before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will decide whether to approve the terms of the settlements that were filed on April 1 in the Oakland, California, federal court.

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  • The Google app icon is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.(AP)
    The Google app icon is seen on a smartphone, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. (AP)

Following a lawsuit against Google claiming that it secretly saves the internet browsing of people in "incognito" mode, the tech giant agreed to settle and flush down billions of records in a class action which was filed in 2020, including millions of Google users who have used private browsing since June 1, 2016.

The terms of the settlement, which still need the approval of US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers as a hearing is set for July 30, were filed on April 1 in the Oakland, California, federal court.

In a process it has already started, under this settlement, Google will further update disclosures about what it collects in “private” browsing, while also allowing incognito users to block third-party cookies for five years.

A historic step against big-tech 

Lawyers representing the plaintiff wrote, “The result is that Google will collect less data from users’ private browsing sessions and that Google will make less money from the data," as they previously valued the accord at more than $5 bilion, and as high as $7.8 billion.

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Google will not compensate for damages, however, the users can still sue individually for damages. 

One of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, David Boies, labeled the settlement “a historic step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies”.

According to court documents, Google agrees with the final approval of the settlement, but disagrees with the plaintiffs’ “legal and factual characterizations."

The lawsuit

The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California in 2020 by Florida resident William Byatt and California residents Chasom Brown and Maria Nguyen, seeking what amounts to 5 billion dollars covering millions of users since 2016 when the complaints were proven. It accused Google of tracking, collecting, and identifying browsing data "in real time" while obscuring it from users.

Moreover, it was alleged that data was collected through incognito browsers as well, which defies the purpose of the concept in the first place. 

The plaintiffs said this conduct turned Google into an “unaccountable trove of information,” as the company now knows a users' life, including "embarrassing things" they might have wanted to conceal. 

Google was also accused of taking Chrome users' private activity and matching it to their public Google profiles. 

In 2019, Google’s chief marketing officer, Lorraine Twohill, wrote to the CEO, Sundar Pichai, “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."

  • United States
  • Google lawsuit
  • Oakland
  • Google
  • Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers

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