A federal appeals court has overturned a December 2022 trial court ruling, forcing Google to face a class action lawsuit alleging unauthorized data collection from Chrome users. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, claims that Google collected users’ data regardless of whether they had enabled the syncing feature.
Allegations and Google’s Response
The plaintiffs assert that Chrome “intentionally and unlawfully” sent browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers, and unique browser identifiers to Google without users’ explicit permission. Google maintains that users agreed to this by accepting the company’s privacy policy.
Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. ruled that the trial judge had failed to consider whether users actually understood the agreement. The case will be sent to a lower court for retrial. Google spokesman José Castañeda stated, “We disagree with this ruling and are confident that the facts of this case are on our side. Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across devices and has clear privacy controls.”
Future Changes and Ongoing Developments
Google plans to stop requiring users to turn on Sync to access stored information, though Castañeda noted that “this announcement is unrelated to the litigation.” We’ll keep you updated on any further developments in this case as they unfold.
The class action lawsuit challenges Google’s data collection practices, specifically focusing on whether Chrome users truly consented to the collection of their data, notes NIX Solutions. As the case moves forward, it may have significant implications for how tech companies handle user data and obtain consent for data collection. The outcome of this lawsuit could potentially influence future privacy policies and user agreements across the tech industry.