SAN FRANCISCO: Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing privately.

In a court filing, the judge confirmed that lawyers for Google reached a preliminary agreement to settle the class action lawsuit originally filed in 2020 which claimed that `millions of individuals` had likely been affected.

Lawyers for the plain-tiffs were seeking at least $5,000 for each user it said had been tracked by the firm as they visited Google Analytics or Ad Manager in `private browsing mode` while not logged into their Google account.

This would have amounted to at least $5bn.

Google and lawyers for the consumers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit, filed in a California court, claimed Google`s practices had infringed on users` privacy by `intentionally` deceiving them.The original complaint alleged that Google and its employees had been given the `power to learn intimate details about individuals` lives, interests, and internet usage`.

`Google has made itself an unaccountable trove of information so detailed and expansive that George Orwell could never have dreamed it,` it added.

No figure was given for the preliminary settlement between the parties.

A formal settlement is expected for court approval by February 24, 2024.-AFP