Google settles $5 billion lawsuit over 'private mode' surveillance.

The class action lawsuit is seeking at least $5 billion (£3.9 billion) from Alphabet, the world's most popular search engine, and its parent company. Big tech companies are increasingly scrutinized for their practices in the US and abroad.

Lawyers representing Google and its users did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Thursday halted a planned trial in the California case after attorneys said they had reached a preliminary agreement.

Judge Rogers denied Google's motion to dismiss the case earlier this year, saying he did not agree that users had consented to Google collecting information about their browsing activities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, lawyers are expected to submit a formal agreement to the court for approval in February 2024. A class action lawsuit filed by the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner in 2020 alleges that Google tracks users' activities even when Google Chrome is set to "incognito" mode and other browsers are set to "private mode".

He says this has made Google a "repository of confusing information" about user preferences and "things that can be embarrassing". He added that Google "cannot continue to secretly collect the data of every American using their computers or mobile phones without permission."

Google has been upfront about the data it collects when users browse in private mode, even though many users thought otherwise. Even in private browsing mode, the search engine's collection of search history allows site owners to "learn about their content, products, marketing, etc. It helps them assess their performance better,” he said.

Google Chrome's incognito mode allows users to browse the web without their activity being saved on the browser or device. However, the websites you visit may use tools such as Google Analytics to track your usage.

Google faces other lawsuits over its search and digital advertising practices. Earlier this month, the tech giant said it would pay $700 million to settle a US state lawsuit that accused Google of allowing the company to compete with the Play Store on Android devices.

This comes just days after US developer Fortnite lost its lawsuit against Epic Games. A video game company sued Google in 2020, accusing it of unfairly dominating its app store over competitors.