Google has commenced a massive data purge following legal action over Chrome piracy concerns. 

Google says it is deleting billions of records containing personal information gathered from Chrome users in the United States, as part of a settlement stemming from a lawsuit that accused the tech behemoth of illegal surveillance.

The lawsuit, launched in June 2020, raised issues with Chrome's privacy controls, alleging that Google continued tracking users' internet activities even when they switched to the browser's ‘Incognito’ mode - a feature that supposedly offers privacy by preventing the collection of browsing data. 

The legal challenge saw a pivotal moment last August when US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers declined Google's motion to dismiss the case, paving the way for a potential trial.

Negotiations over the following four months resulted in a settlement revealed in a recent court filing. 

As part of the agreement, Google is not only required to ditch the contentious data but also to implement more explicit privacy disclosures and additional measures to curb the collection of personal information. 

Google says it is content to delete “old personal technical data” that was never linked to individuals nor used for personalisation purposes.

The legal resolution, however, does not exempt Google from facing future lawsuits over similar privacy concerns, leaving room for individuals to seek damages independently.