Google Facing FTC Fine Over Safari Privacy Breach

suraj.sun writes "Bloomberg is reporting on Google's negotiation with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over 'how big a fine, which could amount to more than $10 million, it will have to pay for its breach of Apple's Safari browser. The fine would be the first by the FTC for a violation of Internet privacy as the agency steps up enforcement of the Web.' Last year, Google agreed to a settlement in which the FTC would monitor Google's privacy practices for an extended period of time. 'The 20-year settlement bars Google from misrepresenting how it handles user information and requires the company to follow policies that protect consumer data in new products.' This February, Google was found to be bypassing privacy controls in Safari by making the browser think a user was submitting a form, when they actually weren't. '(The code used by Google was part of its program to place the "+1" button in advertisements.) At the time, the company issued a statement saying that the circumvention wasn't intentional, but privacy groups were still quick to file complaints with the FTC over Google's actions. That was quickly followed by a class-action lawsuit and an investigation by European regulators.'"

Comments

Re:Absolutely right!

[Overly Critical Guy]

Well, according to some of the early posts, this is somehow Apple's fault, and they should be fined! Seriously. It's like, at what point do you hold Google accountable for anything? Because according to supporters, the Street View thing was okay, Google Search Plus Your World excluding other more popular social networks was okay, the bypassing of Safari privacy controls was okay...and so on. The constant defense of their actions is getting really silly.

Google really needs to do some soul-searching. 2012 has just been a year of controversy after controversy, and we're not even halfway through. Larry Page's attempt to force social networking throughout Google products, as well other initiatives that it's hard to imagine the old Google embarking on, have put a sour image on the company lately.