Google has agreed to pay 37 states plus D.C. $17 million to settle privacy issues involving Apple Safari on Monday.
The privacy issues cropped up from the use of third-party "cookies" – a tiny piece of data sent from the web and stored in the browser that collects important information about the user.
Allegedly, Google dodged default privacy settings in Safari and it violated some computer privacy laws and the state consumer protection laws, hence giving users the wrong impression that their settings automatically block cookies, said attorney generals from the 37 states.
"Consumers should be able to know whether there are other eyes surfing the web with them," Eric T. Schneiderman, attorney general of New York said in a statement. "By tracking millions of people without their knowledge, Google violated not only their privacy, but also their trust."
Google, however, said in a statement, "We work hard to get privacy right at Google and have taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers. We're pleased to have worked with the state attorneys general to reach this agreement."
Aside from the monetary compensation, it has also been agreed that Google should not take precedence over a browser's settings without the consumer's approval except if it is indispensable in addressing technical, security and fraud issues, make sure that the Web cookies in Safari browsers expire, shun misrepresenting data to users about how they use Google services, products and tools to control ads, and hold a web page giving knowledge about cookies and how to control them for five years.
Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy research nonprofit that has filed complaints against Google, told New York Times, "We look at this and say it's a good development for online privacy when the state attorneys general are able to enforce their laws and get Google to change their practices."
Nadja Blagojevic, a spokesperson for Google, said in a letter that the company has "taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers."
