If you thought browsing the internet in Google Chrome in the incognito mode was safe and your browsing history/data cannot be collected by Google, then let us wake you up to some surprise.

The fact is, Google collects your growing data and tracks what you have been browsing even if you do it in incognito mode.

A US District Judge Lucy Koh in California on March 12 denied Google's request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that it secretly collects data even if users browse in Incognito mode to keep their search activity private.

The court directed Google to face a class-action lawsuit seeking $5 billion, that claimed it has been tracking and collecting data even when people use 'Incognito' mode on Chrome browser.

"Google knows that the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet, regardless of whether you follow Google's advice to keep your activities 'private'," the lawsuit said.

A Google spokesperson told The Verge 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 a choice to browse the internet without their activities being saved to either browser or devices.

"As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session," Google reiterated.

The Chrome users filed a complaint in the US in June last year, claiming that Google has a "pervasive data tracking business".

They alleged in the lawsuit that the "tracking persists even if users take steps to protect their private information, such as using incognito mode in Chrome, or private browsing in Safari and other browsers".

On its part, Google has already announced to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome browser.

The company said earlier this month that once third-party cookies are phased out from its platforms, it will not build alternate identifiers to track individuals as they browse across the web, nor will it use them in its products.

However, Google Chrome had announced its intent to remove support for third-party cookies last year.