Google has acknowledged the need for adjustments to its Chrome browser’s Incognito mode to address privacy concerns raised by users. Responding to an impending class-action lawsuit, the tech giant is taking steps to update the warning associated with Incognito mode, ensuring users are adequately informed about the intricacies of online privacy.
This significant modification comes in the wake of Google’s efforts to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing Chrome’s Incognito mode of privacy violations. The lawsuit alleges that users were not sufficiently informed about the extent to which Google and other third-party websites could collect their data even while browsing in what is perceived as a private mode.
The updated warning, already implemented in Chrome Canary, a developer-centric nightly build, aims to directly confront a key grievance of the lawsuit. It seeks to clarify that, even in Incognito mode, Google and external websites may continue to collect user data, promoting transparency and enabling users to make informed choices.
The new warning in Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode reads as follows:
“You’ve gone Incognito. Others who use this device won’t 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.”
The recent modification to the Incognito mode warning aims to eliminate any potential ambiguity in its wording.
A point of interpretation arises in the mention of “Google and websites run by other companies.” This phrasing could be construed to include not only Google’s websites but also extend to third-party websites, including those reliant on Google’s ad services. However, it’s important to note that this updated warning has not yet been incorporated into the developer, beta, and stable branches of Chrome. Additionally, it is conspicuously absent from Chromium, the open-source project forming the basis of the Chrome browser.
MSPowerUser initially brought attention to this change, shedding light on Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance transparency and address concerns related to user data privacy.
