The Daily Populous

Saturday December 30th, 2023 evening edition

image for Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use.

The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said Google misled users into believing that it wouldn’t track their internet activities while using incognito mode.

It argued that Google’s advertising technologies and other techniques continued to catalog details of users’ site visits and activities despite their use of supposedly “private” browsing.

Plaintiffs also charged that Google’s activities yielded an “unaccountable trove of information” about users who thought they’d taken steps to protect their privacy.

The settlement, reached Thursday, must still be approved by a federal judge.

Terms weren’t disclosed, but the suit originally sought $5 billion on behalf of users; lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by Feb. 24.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement. »

Russia unleashes biggest air attack on Ukraine since start of full-scale invasion

Authored by edition.cnn.com

Russia has launched the biggest air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military told CNN, with an unprecedented number of drones and missiles fired at targets across the country, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 150 others.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the overnight large-scale missile & drone attack by Russia on Ukrainian cities & towns across the country,” he wrote on X.

But Russia said that it “will not give explanations” until concrete evidence is presented,” Russia’s state media RIA Novosti reported. »

They Sold Everything to Go on a 3-Year Cruise. How It All Unraveled.

Authored by nytimes.com

But in late November, after months of behind-the-scenes chaos, the Youssefs were stuck in Istanbul, with the cruise company canceling the trip.

The Turkish company, Miray Cruises, had announced the cruise, called Life at Sea, in March.

It claimed it would be the longest cruise ever — 382 port calls over 1,095 days — and a community at sea, with opportunities to explore the globe. »

California becomes first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented immigrants

Authored by abcnews.go.com

California will welcome the new year by becoming the first state to offer health insurance for all undocumented immigrants.

Previously, undocumented immigrants were not qualified to receive comprehensive health insurance but were allowed to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services under Medi-Cal as long as they met eligibility requirements, including income limits and California residency in 2014.

Additionally, undocumented immigrants who are eligible may face other barriers, including confusion about eligibility, language challenges and fear, KFF said. »