The internet is a whirlwind of information and entertainment in what has come to be known as “the technology generation”, and consumer protection on the web is vital.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWin, along with attorneys general in 36 other states and the District of Columbia, have received a $17 million settlement with Google Inc. regarding third-party cookies on Safari Web browsers during 2011 and 2012, according to a news release from DeWine’s office.
Ohio will receive $716,624, which is intended for the Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
Because Google’s revenue relies heavily though advertising, they circumvented Apple’s Safari’s default privacy settings from June 1, 2011 to Feb. 15, 2012 without internet user’s knowledge, according to the release from DeWine's office. This enabled them to obtain information about people based on their web-surfing.
However, Google disabled it after the incident was widely reported online and in the media.
“The states claim that Google failed to inform Safari users that it was circumventing their privacy settings and gave them the false impression that their default privacy settings would block third-party cookies,” the release states. “In turn, users’ Web surfing habits could be tracked without the users’ knowledge.”
The settlement entails that Google will not override a browser’s cookie-blocking settings without the consumer’s consent or misrepresent or omit information about how consumers can use any particular Google product to manage how Google serves advertisements to their browsers.
However, Google still has the authority to override cookie-blocking settings if it is necessary to address fraud, security or technical issues.
The release also states that Google will be expected to improve the information it provides to consumers regarding cookies and maintain systems designed to ensure the expiration of the third-party cookies set on Safari Web browsers during the time the default settings had been circumvented.
The attorneys general say that Google’s circumvention of the default privacy settings violated state consumer protection laws and related computer privacy laws.
“We take these issues seriously,” DeWine said in the release. “We negotiated to reach a comprehensive settlement that not only provides significant payment to the states but also addresses the specific practices involved.”
@KellyPFisher
