FTC To Issue Biggest Fine Ever To Google For Violation Safari User's Privacy?

Via: Time Techland

C/Net is reporting that Google may be about to received a record-breaking fine of some $22.5 million in order to settle charges that it violated Apple's Safari Web browser users privacy settings.

If the above is true than it would easily be the largest such penalty that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ever levied against any single company. As far as the allegations that it breached Safari's user privacy goes, Google has long since abandoned the code in question that resulted in it being charged, and which was something that it claimed it never originally intended to do.   

However, if the allegations are true, than it would also be a direct violation of a 2011 settlement agreement that the Mountain View company had made with the agency. C/Net also noted that the sanctions for violating that agreement could easily reach some $16,000 per day, or approximately $22.5 million, and as they reported:

"The FTC is focused on a 2009 help center page published more than two years before our consent decree, and a year before Apple changed its cookie-handling policy. We have now changed that page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers," a Google representative told CNET."

Of course, and, in conclusion, as far as I'm concerned, Google is totally innocent until found otherwise. However, if they are found to be guilty then it could also further boost various other governments attempts, such as the European Union, who have also been looking into similar privacy issues concerning the innovative search leader. If found guilty, however, than I sincerely doubt, as large as any potential $22.5 million fine might seem to be, if it will be big enough to do much damage to a company as rich, or as big as Google.




And that's my 2 cents on this splendidly, splendid sunny Tuesday, July 10, 2012