Internet search services provider Google, Inc., US, will reportedly have to pay $22.5 million to settle charges that it bypassed the privacy settings of consumers using Apple’s Safari browser. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the fine would be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the US Federal Trade Commission.
Google has been charged for using a special computer code, or ‘cookies,’ to trick Apple’s Safari browser. This would enable Google to monitor users that had blocked such tracking, the newspaper reported.
According to Google, tracking of Apple users was inadvertent and did not cause any harm to consumers. Google disabled the code after being contacted by the Journal.
Google also faces potential sanctions from other governments. It is being investigated by the European Union to determine if the company complies with Europe’s stricter privacy laws.
Source – Scope
