Filip Novotny The US Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22,5 million for not complying with the security settings of the Safari browser. User settings have been bypassed for better ad targeting on Mac and iOS devices.
In February of this year, an American newspaper was the first to report on Google's unfair practices Wall Street Journal. He drew attention to the fact that the American advertising giant does not respect the default settings of the Safari browser, both on OS X and iOS. Specifically, these are inconsistencies regarding cookie files that websites can store on users' computers in order to create a session necessary for the functioning of user accounts, save various settings, monitor visitor behavior for advertising targeting, etc. Unlike the competition, Apple's browser does not allow all cookies, but only those whose storage is initiated by the user himself. He can do this, for example, by logging into his account, sending a form, and so on. By default, Safari blocks cookies from "third parties and advertising agencies" as part of its security.
Nevertheless, Google decided not to respect user settings, apparently with the motive of better offering targeted advertising through its network DoubleClick also on OS X and iOS platforms. In practice, it looked like this: Google inserted a code on the web page where the ad was to be placed, which automatically submitted an invisible blank form after recognizing the Safari browser. The browser (wrongly) understood this as a user action and thus allowed the server to send the first of a series of cookies to the local computer. In response to the accusations of the Wall Street Journal, Google defended itself by saying that the mentioned cookies mainly contain information about logging into the Google+ account and allow various content to be given a "+1". However, it is 100% demonstrable that the files stored on users' computers also contained data that Google uses to target advertising to individual users and to track their behavior. Even if it were not the means to strengthen the advertising network and increase earnings, it is still a matter of circumventing the rules and disregarding the wishes of the customer, which cannot go unpunished.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which took up the matter after complaints from the public, came up with an even more serious accusation. On the special page on which Google allows you to turn off tracking cookies, it was stated that users of the Safari browser are automatically logged out of tracking by default and do not need to take any further steps. In addition, the Commission has previously warned Google of a possible penalty in the event of a breach of the security of its users. In justifying the fine, the FTC therefore states that "the historic fine of $22,5 million is a reasonable remedy for the allegation that Google violated the commission's order by deceiving Safari users about opting out of targeted advertising." The most important question, according to the US commission, is whether Google will comply with its regulations. “We strongly believe that the speed with which the twenty-two million fine is imposed will help ensure future compliance. For a company as large as Google, we might consider any high fine to be insufficient.”
It is therefore a message to companies that the government organization sent with the speed of its action. "Google and other companies that received warnings from us will be under close supervision, and the commission will respond quickly and forcefully to violations." According to calculations by the Wall Street Journal, the American advertising giant will earn back $22,5 million in just a few hours . With its statement, the commission opened the door for possible further fines, either for Google or other companies that would try to ignore the FTC's order.
Such a fine should be in the billions for a company like Google, no normal person is worth their great targeting anyway... I would fine them the estimated amount of earnings generated by this fraud.