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Google and FTC Near Deal for Record $22.5 Million Fine over Safari Privacy Circumvention

Tuesday July 10, 2012 9:32 am PDT by Eric Slivka
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are nearing a deal that would see Google paying a record $22.5 million fine over its tactics to circumvent privacy settings in Safari on iOS to track users' behavior.
The fine is expected to be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. It offers the latest sign of the FTC's stepped-up approach to policing online privacy violations, coming just six months after The Wall Street Journal reported on Google's practices.
The case centers on a loophole in Safari's default privacy settings, with Google taking advantage of the hole to make the browser think that the user was interacting with a given ad, thus allowing a tracking cookie to be installed. With that cookie installed, it became easy for Google to add additional cookies and to track users across the web as they visited other sites displaying ads from Google's networks.

Google has argued that the tracking was unintentional and that it did not harm consumers, but the Federal Trade Commission pointed to previous statements by Google regarding Safari's privacy settings as evidence that the company was misrepresenting its privacy practices.

Google's tactics are also under scrutiny from a number of state attorneys general, who may yet pursue additional action against the company.
[ 90 comments ]


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Aodhan
82 months ago
Even though Chrome sounds like a good browser, this is why I don't use it. I just do not trust Google. I just get the sinking feeling years from now we'll find out Google has been tracking everything you do in your browser.
Rating: 25 Votes
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adildacoolset
82 months ago
They deserve it. They shouldn't find exploits just for their advantage and violate users.
Rating: 20 Votes
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louis Fashion
82 months ago
show me the money

Hey wait, they track ME and the GOVERNMENT gets the fine cash?
I want my cut.
Rating: 18 Votes
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nepalisherpa
82 months ago
Good!
Rating: 16 Votes
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KdParker
82 months ago

More reason not to use Chrome. Then again... if there's data you don't want to be used this way in general, you shouldn't be putting it online. Still a lame move on Google's part.


putting online and surfing the web are totally different things. You should be able to surf around and not have Google tracking you.
Rating: 16 Votes
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KdParker
82 months ago
Well. you can bet chrome does same kind of tracking
Rating: 12 Votes
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\-V-/
82 months ago
More reason not to use Chrome. Then again... if there's data you don't want to be used this way in general, you shouldn't be putting it online. Still a lame move on Google's part.
Rating: 11 Votes
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ugahairydawgs
82 months ago
Every now and again I start thinking "you know....Google isn't all that bad. Maybe I'll start using some more of their services".

Then articles like this come out and I remember why I quit using their stuff in the first place.
Rating: 11 Votes
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vampyr
82 months ago
I liked Google back when they created a good search engine.

Now I hate Google because they have littered the internet with advertising.
Rating: 9 Votes
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deannnnn
82 months ago
They can afford it.
Rating: 7 Votes

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