Google Fined $22.5 Million For Traking Safari Users, Too Bad It Will Not Stop This In The Future

Google

Google has agreed to settle with the FTC over accusations that they bypassed security features in Safari to track users’ internet habits. Although Google often comments that they maintain the highest privacy and security standards for its users they have been repeatedly in the news for violations of privacy. Let’s face it, Google wants and needs data they really do not care so much about how they get it as long as they do. They have been in trouble over street view, Google Maps, Google Docs, Chrome, and now for tracking people when they specifically use features to prevent them from being tracked.

The settlement, while representing the largest fine the FTC has ever imposed, is a relatively small $22.5 Million. This fine in unlikely to make Google stay away from this type of behavior, although it could be that the FTC did not want to try and take too much here as they are still looking into Google for possible Anti-competitive practices (how do they keep missing Apple with these?). Right now they are still mulling over the possibility of bringing a case against Google for this and maybe even patent abuse (again… hello Apple???) although the patent abuse case is really against Motorola Mobility. Google only gets thrown into the mix because they now own Motorola Mobility.

Still I have to say that it is nice to see them finally do something (even if it is small) to companies that go out of their way to violate consumer privacy. Now maybe they will head over and pay Zuckerberg a visit and follow that up with a stop by Apple’s place. It might make some of these companies slow down their anti-consumer trends and force them to get back into the business of making new and better products for consumers to use and buy… But we doubt that those will happen as neither Apple nor Facebook opposed SOPA or PIPA in the way that Google did. To put it bluntly Google is on the FTC’s Sh*t list for a while.

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