Google has lost its final attempt to avoid a major privacy lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Google continues to track users' data even after they enable a feature designed to stop tracking.
Judge Richard Seeborg ruled that Google must face a federal jury, rejecting the company's claim that users know the "off switch" doesn't stop all tracking. A jury trial is set for August 18 in San Francisco.
“From the perspective of a reasonable user, it is unclear Plaintiffs were consenting to the data collection at issue,” Seeborg said
The lawsuit was filed in 2020, claiming that Google misled users by saying it would stop saving data if they turned off the "Web App & Activity" feature, while continuing to track their browsing histories. The plaintiffs argue that this violates privacy laws in California.
The case is part of a series of privacy-related lawsuits against Google, including one over its "Incognito" mode in Chrome.