Being upfront with clients and customers is important to most business owners. Of course, even if owners believe that they are giving consumers all the information they need, some may feel as if they were kept in the dark. Unfortunately, if consumers believe that a company did not properly inform them, business litigation could result.
Colorado readers may be interested in a class action lawsuit recently filed in another state against Google. Apparently, three plaintiffs are associated with the lawsuit, which claims that Google intentionally deceives consumers when it comes to the privacy provided by using the incognito mode feature in the Google Chrome internet browser. Analytics data is reportedly still collected and sent to websites visited when using incognito mode even though the feature does not save search history, site data, cookies or certain other information. The lawsuit is seeking a minimum of $5 billion in damages.
Google claims that the company has been upfront with users about the collection of data in incognito mode. When opening an incognito browser window or tab, the page lists third parties that may still be able to access browser activity and data, such as visited websites, internet service providers and employers. A spokesperson for Google indicated that the company will defend against the allegations.
Business litigation can take a lot out of a company and not just financially. Resources and manpower often need to be allocated to address legal matters that would normally be used for other business-related operations. Nonetheless, if Colorado companies face class action lawsuits, it is necessary to determine the most viable way to handle the claims.
