Google to Pay $22.5 Million
According to sources Google has been found guilty of tracking millions of web surfers behind closed doors who rely on Apple’s Safari browser. In order to resolve this episode of breaking the privacy law, Google will have to pay a $22.5 million fine.
However, according to the Associated Press, the fine is yet to be approved by the Federal Trade Commission but if the penalty is approved, then this amount will be the highest fine imposed on any company. It looks like Google has been caught tracking tons of web surfers. It seems that Google is desperate to find out what users are in to and what they want to search for or purchase.
Wall Street Journal was the first one to report this prominent news of this violation. When the Journal initially revealed the report about the situation, Google quit its practice of privacy violation. The Journal has done a good job bringing these violations to the surface as tracking internet users without their knowledge is a clear violation of privacy laws.
The fine will not give Google any sleepless nights because it already has $49 billion in banks. It is known through surveys that the company will easily bring in a good amount of money to cover up this cost because Google is expected to generate a revenue of $46 billion this year. Google is always floating in the clouds but these recent issues in regards to violating privacy laws can really hurt the company’s image amongst internet users. There is no shortage of search engines or email accounts and other items that can be found all over the internet. Whether or not these privacy violations have an impact on the image of Google will remain to be seen.
However, questions about Google’s sincerity will increase; whether the leading search engine and advertiser was violating its powerful position on the internet or not?
Google gave a statement on Thursday saying, “We do set the highest standards of privacy and security for our users. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., emphasized the tracking technology inserted into the Safari browser didn’t collect any personal information.”
On the other hand, Federal Trade Commission has become a privacy watchdog for the digital world. Jon Leibowitz, chairman of FTC, claims to protect the internet privacy of more than a billion users.
The exact terms and conditions are still being discussed. The amount of fine has not been confirmed yet, but if it is $22.5 million, then Google will surely cover that amount in roughly five hours.
