Google agrees to record $22.5M fine on privacy
Source: AP
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is paying a record $22.5 million fine to settle allegations that it broke a privacy promise by secretly tracking millions of Web surfers who use Apple's Safari browser.
The penalty announced Thursday by the Federal Trade Commission matches the figure that The Associated Press and other media outlets had reported last month. It's the largest fine that the FTC has imposed against a company for violating a previous agreement with the agency.
Google Inc. isn't admitting any wrongdoing in the latest settlement. The fine isn't over Google's data collection, but for misrepresenting what was happening. Last October, Google had signed a 20-year agreement that, among other things, included a company pledge not to mislead consumers about its privacy practices.
The FTC opened its investigation into the Safari activities six months ago after a researcher at Stanford University revealed that Google had overridden Safari safeguards that are supposed to prevent outside parties from monitoring Web surfing activity without a user's permission.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/google-agrees-record-22-5m-fine-privacy-154303160--finance.html
The biggest Internet spies and ad spammers in the world had to dig under their sofa cushions yet again.
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No one blaming Apple for Google's lying? You guys are slipping.
Well, on the bright side, if my hard drive crashes, maybe I'll be able to go to Google for a list of my porn downloads.
