Google CEO Sundar Pichai will likely be questioned for up to two hours in an incognito mode privacy lawsuit. In a court filing earlier this year, the plaintiffs stated that Pichai was warned about problems with Google’s incognito browsing mode in 2019, but he chose to ignore the warnings because he did not want the feature to come under scrutiny.
According to the most recent filing, the plaintiffs are now arguing that Pichai has unique, personal knowledge of Chrome browser issues and privacy concerns. According to Google spokesman Jose Castaneda, the new requests are “unwarranted and overreaching.” “.. “While we strongly disagree with the claims in this case, we have complied with the plaintiffs’ numerous requests.” We will continue to defend ourselves vehemently “Castaneda explained.
US Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen in San Jose, California, said in her order on Monday that “a few documents establish that specific relevant information was communicated to, and possibly from, Pichai,” and thus supported the plaintiffs’ lawyers’ request to question him.
According to the plaintiffs’ write-up, Brian Rakowski, known as “the father” of Incognito mode, testified earlier this year that while Google claims Incognito allows users to browse privately, what users expect may not match up with reality. Google’s attorneys then rejected the summary, writing that Rakowski also stated that terms such as “private,” “anonymous,” and “invisible” in the right context “can be super helpful” in explaining Incognito.
“Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda had noted earlier this year in a press statement.
In June of last year, three complainants filed a class-action lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company engages in pervasive data tracking. It was also stated that Google collects browsing history and other web activity data even when the incognito private browsing mode on Google Chrome is enabled. According to the lawsuit, Google tracks users using a variety of systems, including Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, website plug-ins, and other applications, including mobile apps.
