In a significant ruling, a judge in the US has directed Google to face a class-action lawsuit seeking $5 billion, that claimed the tech giant is tracking and collecting data even when people use the private 'Incognito' mode on its Chrome browser.

District Judge Lucy Koh in the state of California ruled that Google "did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode", reports Bloomberg. A Google spokesperson told The Verge on Saturday that the company disputes the lawsuit's claims. "We will defend ourselves vigorously against them," the spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report. Google Chrome's 'Incognito' mode gives users choice to browse the internet without their activities being saved to either browser or devices.