When users turn on Incognito Browser on Chrome, they will see a notification warning them that others using their device will not be able to see their activity, but their downloads, bookmarks, and reading items will still be saved. Now, Google has updated its disclaimer in Chrome’s experimental Canary channel, shortly after agreeing to settle a $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking incognito users.As first noticed microsoft power userthe company tweaked Canary’s disclaimer to add language that says incognito mode doesn’t change how the site collects data about people.
“Others using this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately,” the new disclaimer reads. “This doesn’t change what websites you visit and the services you use, including Google, collect Data. Downloads, bookmarks, and reading list items will be saved.” The publication spotted the updated warning in Canary on Android and Windows, and we can confirm that the same language is also present in Chrome for Mac.
Google faced lawsuits in 2020 accusing it of tracking users’ activities even when they were in incognito mode. The plaintiffs told the court that the company used tools such as analytics products, apps and browser plug-ins to monitor users. They also believe that by tracking users in incognito mode, Google gives people the false belief that they have control over the information they are willing to share. A Google spokesperson explained at the time that the mode could only hide a user’s activity on the device they were using, but their information could still be collected. This is not clearly communicated in the disclaimer for the current public version of Chrome, but it looks like that may change in the near future.
This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/google-now-admits-it-could-collect-data-in-chromes-incognito-mode-103807146.html?src=rss
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