Google faces revived class action Chrome lawsuit over sync data collection

A federal appeals court has reversed a previous decision, allowing a class action Chrome lawsuit against Google to move forward. The lawsuit accuses the tech giant of collecting user data through its Chrome web browser without their consent.

The Chrome lawsuit case stems from allegations that Google’s Chrome sync feature, which saves bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, and other data to a user’s Google account, collected browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers, and unique browser identifiers without explicit permission.

The plaintiffs argue that this data collection was “intentionally and unlawfully” conducted by Google.

Google’s defense against Chrome lawsuit

Google had initially claimed that users consented to the data collection when they accepted the company’s privacy policy.

However, Judge Milan D. Smith Jr., in the recent decision, stated that the lower court should have reviewed Google’s disclosures to determine if a “reasonable user reading them would think that he or she was consenting to the data collection”.

Google allegedly collected browsing history, IP addresses, and other identifiers via Chrome’s sync feature (Image credit)

The appeals court’s ruling sends the case back to the lower courts for reconsideration. Google has expressed disagreement with the ruling and maintains that Chrome Sync is designed to help users access their information seamlessly across devices, while also providing clear privacy controls.

The development comes as Google prepares to no longer require users to enable Chrome sync to access saved information. However, a Google spokesperson clarified that this change is not related to the ongoing litigation.

Key points from the Chrome lawsuit are:

• Data collection: Google allegedly collected browsing history, IP addresses, persistent cookie identifiers, and unique browser identifiers without explicit permission.
• Lack of consent: The plaintiffs argue that Google’s privacy policy did not adequately inform users about the extent of data collection.
• Appeals court ruling: The appeals court reversed a previous decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
• Judge’s opinion: The judge stated that the lower court should have reviewed Google’s disclosures to determine if they were clear enough about data collection.
• Google’s defense: Google claims that users consented to data collection through the privacy policy.
• Future of the case: The case will now be reconsidered by the lower courts.
• Chrome sync changes: Google is planning to remove the requirement to enable Chrome sync for accessing saved information, but this is unrelated to the lawsuit.

Tech giant is on the scope

Apart from the most recent Chrome lawsuit, Google has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits in recent years.

Here are some of the most notable ones:

Antitrust lawsuits

• Department of Justice (DOJ) and State Attorneys General: In 2020, the DOJ and a coalition of states sued Google for monopolizing digital advertising technology. They accused Google of anti-competitive practices such as acquiring competitors, locking in clients, and distorting auction mechanisms for ads.
• European Union (EU): The EU has also fined Google for antitrust violations, including favoring its own shopping comparison service and restricting competitors from using Android devices.

Copyright lawsuits

AI training data: In 2024, several artists sued Google, alleging that it used copyrighted work without permission to train its AI models.

Google plans to remove the requirement for Chrome sync (Image credit) Privacy lawsuits

Data collection: Google has faced lawsuits over its collection and use of user data, including allegations of tracking user activity across the web.

Other lawsuits

Labor practices: Google has faced lawsuits related to labor practices, such as allegations of unfair labor practices and discrimination.

Secretive deal exposed between Google and Meta

Intellectual property: Google has been involved in disputes over intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks.

This is not an exhaustive list of all lawsuits against Google. The company faces a variety of legal challenges due to its size and influence in the tech industry.

Featured image credit: Conny Schneider/Unsplash