FTC Fines Google $22.5 Million for Privacy Violations
The Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22.5 million for violating the terms of a settlement reached with the company last year. Google violated the settlement by placing advertising tracking cookies on Safari browsers despite telling users that it would honor the default Safari privacy settings, which prevented the placement of such cookies. The settlement prohibits Google from misrepresenting the extent to which it maintains the privacy and security of personal information, and requires the company to submit to independent privacy audits for the next 20 years. The settlement follows from a complaint filed by EPIC over Google Buzz, the social network service launched in early 2010. Google recently consolidated user data across its products and services, prompting objections from European data protection authorities, state attorneys general, members of Congress, and IT managers in the government and private sectors. For more information, see EPIC: Google Buzz and EPIC: Enforcement of Google Consent Order.
August 9, 2012| Share:
