Late last year, Google settled a class action lawsuit that began in 2020. The lawsuit accused the Internet giant of violating the privacy of millions of users by tracking their activities even when Chrome's "Incognito" mode was enabled. As part of the settlement, Google is now updating Chrome's Incognito description.

The latest build of Chrome (codenamed Canary), which is available for testing, changes the text that appears when the Incognito tab is first launched. Older versions (still displaying this text as of this writing) say:

"Private browsing is now available and your activity will not be seen by others using this device. However, downloads, bookmarks, and Reading List items will be saved."

A link to a more detailed description then appears, with a bulleted list of items that Chrome will and will not track.

The text of the new incognito session reads:

"You can browse more privately because other users using this device will not see your activity. This allows you to browse more privately because other users using this device will not see your activity. This does not change the way in which the websites you visit and the services they use collect data, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks, and Reading List items will be saved."

Quite notably, "including Google" has been added, making the obvious even more obvious, and especially the change from "personally browse" (old) to "more personally browse" (new). The bullet points remain as before.

The changes are part of a settlement that has not yet been made public; it will be submitted to the court in late January and, if all goes well, approved by February. And it probably stems from the fact that Google cited the old text as evidence that it had properly informed users what Incognito mode does when it was struggling to get the lawsuit dismissed. The judge disagreed.

Google spokesman José Castañeda told The Verge that the company was "happy to settle this long-fought lawsuit," and of course Chrome now "gives users even more information about Incognito mode." He is positive that Chrome is now "providing more information to users about Incognito mode.

Your mileage may vary, and it did for the plaintiffs in this case. But it has always been clear to me that Incognito mode is a limited form of privacy, essentially hiding what you were seeing from other users of the same device. I was never under the impression that Incognito was some sort of private browser, free from the myriad data-tracking tentacles of the big tech companies, but I can see how some users might have accidentally gotten that impression. Now, let's enjoy the next Incognito session. Don't forget that Big Brother is watching.