Google Fined $22.5M Over Safari Privacy Violation 118
wiredmikey writes "The US Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22.5 million for violating the privacy of people who used rival Apple's Safari web browser even after pledging not to do so. The FTC said Google had agreed with the commission in October 2011 not to place tracking cookies on or deliver targeted ads to Safari users, but then went ahead and did so. 'For several months in 2011 and 2012, Google placed a certain advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google's DoubleClick advertising network,' the FTC said in a statement. 'Google had previously told these users they would automatically be opted out of such tracking.' While Google agreed to the fine, it did NOT admit it had violated the earlier agreement."
Re:hmmm... (Score:1, Informative)
You mean the checkbox in plain sight that you can simply un-check, and not install Safari? I'm not sure how that is a trojan or semi-silent or in the background.
Google installs the auto-update spyware with Earth without any option to disable it, unless you know to get the "advanced" installer. Now that is a trojan! Removing the updater is not exactly easy either.