Google has agreed to delete browsing data collected from 5 billion users during private/incognito mode as part of a $5 billion class-action settlement, acknowledging that "private" browsing was never truly private.

What Was Collected

Despite Chrome's incognito mode suggesting browsing was private, Google continued collecting browsing history, search queries, and website interactions through its analytics and advertising tools embedded on millions of websites.

Changes Required

Google must prominently disclose data collection during incognito mode and give users a genuine opt-out option. The settlement also funds digital privacy education programs.