Google Inc. is settling with 37 states because it tracked internet users’ behavior unauthorized. The popular search engine had placed cookies on Apple Safari users’ computers to gather consumer data.
New York will receive $899,580 of the $17 million settlement money, states attorney general Eric Schneiderman Monday.
“By tracking millions of people without their knowledge, Google violated not only their privacy, but also their trust,” Schneiderman stated.
Through Google’s DoubleClick advertising platform, it set third-party cookies in users’ web browsers to gather consumer habits or browsing history.
Apple’s Safari web browser blocks these by default, but from June 2011 to Feb. 2012 Google circumvented those settings without consumer knowledge or consent. Google agreed to stop the method after it was reported on, unless necessary to address fraud, security, or technical issues.
Google also agreed to improve the information it gives consumers on how it uses cookies as a part of the settlement.
