5 billion dollar lawsuit filed against Google for snooping in Incognito mode

themarkymark STEMGeeks Teamin #google • 8 months ago

As expected, Google was spying on the surfing habits of users using Incognito mode in Google Chrome. Incognito mode is typically used to watch porn (I don't know, just a guess) and is supposed to be anonymous and without logging. While it should be anonymous from Google and your local machine storage, ISP's always have your surfing information unless you use a VPN or similar solution.

On June 2nd, 2020 a lawsuit was filed for $5 Billion USD dollars accusing Google of collecting information about their users with incognito mode enabled.

(Google) “cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone,”
_{- Lawsuit claimant}

The lawsuit seeks at least $5,000 USD per user who have used Google since June 1st, 2016.

Jose Castaneda from Google mentions websites can collect information on your browsing habits every time you open incognito mode.

The case is being tried in California and is potentially subject to California wiretapping and privacy laws.

If you haven't tried Brave Browser I recommend giving it a look. It is based on Chromium and supports Google Chrome extensions but does not have Google's spying and is a lot faster and more secure.

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8 months ago in #google by themarkymark STEMGeeks Team

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apshamilton 8 months ago

$5 Billion. That's not a lawsuit.

THIS IS A LAWSUIT! $360 Billion claim.

To be said in a Aussie accent like this:

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machnbirdsparo 8 months ago

well said

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abh12345 8 months ago

Maybe they need some new porn?

I've moved to Brave, happy with the speed and the few dollars I'm given each month for doing what I normally do.....

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themarkymark STEMGeeks Team 8 months ago

I switched to brave a few times but never gave it a full go as my main browser until like a year ago and have been using it since with no problems.

I am not happy about their affiliate program hi-hacking though.

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christina-madart 8 months ago

Hello @themarkymark ! I have also recently moved fully on Brave (about a week ago) and working fine with me too!

I just want to explore how much things like using Social Media or Netflix spoil some of the benefits it provides and if it is only for the tabs that we use on these sites or for the whole use. For example Netflix needed to install the Widevine extension for digital rights-netflix in order to function and Adobe installed Adobe Acrobat today (I have not enabled it yet).

What is your experience with their affiliate program and why aren't you happy with it? I have not explored it yet and I would like to.

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themarkymark STEMGeeks Team 8 months ago

I haven't really used their affiliate program much. I think I have like 2-3 downloads on it and that's about it.

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christina-madart 8 months ago

Hello @themarkymark, ok thank you very much! 🙂

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machnbirdsparo 8 months ago

yep yep... like 2 years on brave

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jlufer 8 months ago

It could not be otherwise, this at some point had to happen.
I'm going to take a look at this browser.

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jacksondavies 8 months ago

I saw this news a while ago.

That's one of the biggest problems with web2. They always gotta spy on you.

I've been using Puffin Browser. It's super fast and secure.

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dhimmel 8 months ago

If anyone is interested in the actual case, it is

Brown et al v Google LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-03664

The class action complaint PDF is currently available at

Didn't see it on Court Listener yet, which is my favorite site for public court records.

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goldrooster 8 months ago

5 billion is printed every day by the FED

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pyramidone 8 months ago

...and the stock market keeps going up!

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themarkymark STEMGeeks Team 8 months ago

If not more. Hive is printing about $22.5K USD a day.

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acesontop 8 months ago

If I were the judge I would confine Google to pay every user in the world $5,000 for collecting tons of data from eac hand one of us. I use Brave for more than a year both on my laptop and smartphone and am satisfied with it. The browser made me an investor for BAT as well. With such a great product I doubt BAT will under perform when bullish times will come.

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themarkymark STEMGeeks Team 8 months ago

BAT has been doing really well. Wish I bought a lot when I first heard about it a few years ago.

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acesontop 8 months ago

If it will at least perform as XRP did in 2017 then you still have time to pick some at a great discount. I often think of it as the next XRP from a price appreciation perspective and FOMO.

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mediahousent 8 months ago (edited)

The best way to market a product is to state the importance. Do you know Google spy on your data? But Brave gives you your privacy. Haha 😆 That’s marketing strategy. I like that.

In the same vein, Google should be slammed with more law suits and damages for data collection. I can’t use Search Engines without getting a follow up advert of exactly what I googled. Why is my privacy fgs? So pathetic.
I’m moving over to Brave this week.

Shared on Twitter.
Short and witty post.👏

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ebingo 8 months ago

I wonder if they've been spying my camera while watch porn.😒

I roll my eyes right now and back then while watching.... Nevermind

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kingturk 8 months ago

Is 5 million dollars really good

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themarkymark STEMGeeks Team 8 months ago

It's 5 Billion dollars, but I'd take 5 Million.

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hiro-hive 8 months ago

If you haven't tried Brave Browser I recommend giving it a look. It is based on Chromium and supports Google Chrome extensions but does not have Google's spying and is a lot faster and more secure.

Brave is definitely one of my favorite browser, although there is a scandal about the automated referral link, it doesn't bother me at all.

It saves me time for blocking the ads, added the one that you mention that does not google's spying. This advice is definitely need to be consider for google's heavy users. Cheers @themarkymark 🍯🐝

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inalittlewhile 8 months ago

Looks like the next round of stimulus checks could be on Google. Bloggers use incognito mode to check keyword rankings anonymously. And for porn, of course. 🤣

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wandereronwheels 8 months ago (edited)

I saw this coming! 😑

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akumagai 8 months ago

wasn't brave browser caught in a scandal of sorts recently?

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creativemary 8 months ago

I think Google thought they could go incognito with doing nasty things lol. This shows how much information is out in the open and people should be more aware of that

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brianoflondon 8 months ago

$5000 x 1m users... They're really reaching.

So many of us give away so much of our information so often we've all devalued our own information.

And the fact remains, whenever you visit a site, you have to give them your IP address and some particulars about your browser and equipment so they know what to send you! Private mode is not really much of a big deal.

These cases are always frustrating personally because I know that the case I'm working on with @apshamilton has a far larger value and is far more real.

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crazysailor 8 months ago

5 billion dollars! I will google if google will pay the lawsuit which is filed against google as google has answers to everything.. 😝

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valued-customer 8 months ago (edited)

I note browser 'fingerprinting' appears to be used by Goolag as well as the proprietary Chrome browser. I've never used Chrome, because I've never trusted Goolag, but I have been targeted by Goolag just the same.

Some years ago, Goolag prevented me from posting on the chans by no longer providing captcha services to the browser I use. I've tried several things to get around this, but no scripts I've tried enable the browser to access captchas on the chans.

Last month a new kind of censorship was deployed, and if I go to Youtube, the page will not load in this browser. I can watch Youtube vids on other pages, but I cannot on the Youtube site. The link provided by @apshamilton below gives me this:

youtube.com_20200623.png

Both problems are mitigated by using a different browser, such as Brave.

I really hope this lawsuit manages to piggyback on the many other affronts Goolag has committed to break up the monopoly power of not only Goolag, but all the tech giants that are being used by banksters as a sort of covert fascist government. It's notable that the CIA was involved in initially funding both Goolag and Fakebook, as well as Twatter.

I don't think it's coincidence that all three platforms have become Gorilla Kings in the social media market, nor that they all insatiably harvest user data, and censor based on political ideology.

Thanks!

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r1s2g3 8 months ago

Google never said that they do not collect data in "incognito mode". They said that in incognito mode , you do not have to take care of your browsing history in system.

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machnbirdsparo 8 months ago

Sure I should have heard about this within 24 hours of it going public but sometimes work keeps me away from the day's news. What's really nice is to hear about first on a crypto platform. And yes, I double checked the old web. Again nice. Also, seen your name around but didn't recall if I voted for you. Will take a look.

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binkyprod 8 months ago

Is this a CLass Action lawsuit? I hope they do it in Canada too. I could use 5K lol

I use Incognito mode when searching for topics and discussions regarding certain CPTSD symptoms for which I feel embarrassed about experiencing and I don't want that data kept in my search and such. I get paranoid that if I have a certain symptom, it means a certain thing so I don't want people, or Google, to track those searches. Good to know that it makes no difference though. It sucks because there are things I don't want broadcast to the entire world. I will talk about it when I am ready to. Like everything else.

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adetorrent 8 months ago

I use Brave 90% of the time and Safari 10 of the time. I've earned about $50 so far for just using the browser causally and clicking on a few ads. I like the Safari keychain because I'm on a mac.

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