Google to pay $22.5 million to settle privacy charges

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Google Inc is close to paying $22.5 million to settle charges that it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple's Safari browser, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials briefed on the settlement terms.

The fine would be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Journal said late Monday.

The charges involve Google's use of special computer code, or "cookies," to trick Apple's Safari browser so Google could monitor users that had blocked such tracking, the newspaper said.

Google disabled the code after being contacted by the Journal. According to Google, tracking of Apple users was inadvertent and did not cause any harm to consumers, the newspaper reported.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/google-pay-22-5-million-settle-privacy-charges-050605798--sector.html

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Pennies to the world's largest data skimmer and ad spammer.

[OnyxCollie]

1. K&R. nt

[savalez]

3. Apple can use that towards their own court ordered $60 million fine.

Pennies to the outsourcer.

[onehandle]

4. 1) The Google fine does not go to Apple. 2) The $60m that Apple is paying is not a fine.

They are buying the rights to a trademark in China.

Usually I would say 'nice try,' but you weren't even close.

[savalez]

5. Good, we agree on "Pennies to the Outsourcer".

Okay, they paid $60 million to end a protracted legal dispute. Better?

Anyhow, they can use some of the money to recoup their Australia and the Netherlands fine.

Pennies to the Outsourcer.

[Incitatus]

6. Oh, poor Google had to lift a couch cushion

[dipsydoodle]

7. Wait until Europe gets to work on them

where the fines will be based on per user and are estimated to be $800 million per offence. Somehow or other I think Google will learn to behave.