Shortly after signaling that it wanted to settle a lawsuit over Chrome’s Incognito mode, the company has reached a deal with the plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs brought a class-action lawsuit against Google for continuing to track Chrome users even when they had Incognito mode enabled, as well as when similar modes were enabled in other browsers. The company allegedly used a combination of methods, including cookies, apps, and Google Analytics.

According to Reuters, the parties have agreed to a settlement, although the terms of the deal were not disclosed. The outlet reports that attorneys “have agreed to a binding term sheet through mediation,” with the formal offer expected to be presented to the court by February 24, 2024. 

While this particular case may be on the verge of settling, it should serve as a stark warning to Chrome users that it is time to use a different web browser. Chrome may be the most popular web browser in the world, but it is also made by the biggest advertising company in the world. As a result, Chrome will never be as privacy-respecting as many other alternatives. Google’s entire business model depends on knowing what people are doing, looking at, shopping for, and more.

An added concern is that Google’s dominance of web search, web advertising, and the web browser market give it the ability to push technologies and features that benefit its core business at the expense of user privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has repeatedly called the company out for such tactics.

Instead, WPN recommends Firefox or Brave. Firefox has a long history of protecting user privacy and security, and is just as feature-rich as Chrome. Similarly, Brave has strong privacy controls and security built in, but has the added benefit of being built on the same open source browsing engine as Chrome. This gives it near-perfect compatibility with sites that require Chrome.

Relying on Google Chrome and expecting privacy is akin to relying on an alarm system distributed by home burglars and expecting your home and belongings to remain safe. It’s high time for users to move to truly private and secure options.