Judge stops Chrome users' group privacy lawsuit

A U.S. judge denied class action status to a lawsuit alleging Google illegally collected personal data from Chrome users who did not sync their browsers. This means the plaintiffs cannot sue Google as a group. The judge agreed with Google that individual assessments were needed to determine if users understood and consented to data collection policies. The judge dismissed the proposed class action with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled, and also denied policy changes as a group remedy. The ruling stems from a 2022 dismissal, an appeals court decision, and a separate settlement regarding private browsing. Google stated it appreciated the decision and highlighted Chrome Sync's privacy controls.