Google is once again in hot water as a U.S. appeals court breathes new life into a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of collecting personal data from Chrome users without their consent. The controversy centers on Google’s alleged practice of gathering information from users even when they explicitly chose not to sync their browsers with Google accounts—a serious breach of trust that has sparked widespread concern.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has ruled that the lower court erred in dismissing the case without fully evaluating whether reasonable Chrome users genuinely consented to this intrusive data collection. This pivotal decision means the case will return to the lower court for further examination, potentially opening the door to significant repercussions for Google.
This isn’t the first time Google’s data practices have come under scrutiny. In a separate case, the company previously agreed to a settlement that involved destroying billions of records related to tracking users in Chrome’s “Incognito” mode—a feature designed to offer privacy, yet evidently failing to live up to that promise. This latest legal development highlights ongoing concerns about how Google handles user data, even in situations where privacy should be paramount.
As the case moves forward, the implications for Google could be far-reaching. The outcome may not only impact the company’s data collection practices but could also set a precedent for how tech giants are held accountable for privacy violations. For millions of Chrome users, the revived lawsuit serves as a stark reminder of the potential risks lurking in the digital tools they rely on every day.
🚨🇺🇸U.S. APPEALS COURT REVIVES LAWSUIT AGAINST GOOGLE OVER CHROME DATA COLLECTION
The court ruled that the tech giant must face claims that it collected personal information from Chrome users without their consent, even when they chose not to sync their browsers with Google… pic.twitter.com/Ki7WlHGLK8
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 20, 2024
Sources:
www.yahoo.com/news/us-appeals-court-revives-google-184610271.html