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FTC Reportedly Fining Google $22.5 Million Over Safari Privacy Abuse
New submitter Slashbots writes "Google will settle with the FTC for nearly $22.5 million over its bypassing of Apple's Safari browser privacy settings. It would be the largest settlement with the FTC over privacy-related charges ever. By abusing a privacy hole in Safari, Google circumvented user settings to show them advertising and track the user. 'Safari, unlike other browsers, blocks cookies from ad networks like Google's. But because of a loophole, Google had been able to avoid the block, as researchers discovered in February. It installed cookies and tracked Safari users across the Web to show them personalized ads.'"
No. It wasn't any sort of active attempt at hacking. It wasn't breaking any encryption. Even the EFF admits it was probably unintended.
Saying Google "used a loophole" is just a loaded way of saying Safari had a bug. The technique had been known for at least two years, and was used by companies other than Google.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law