Google fined £14.4 million.

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10-08-2012, 10:36 AM
MKR&*42

Google fined £14.4 million.

Quote:

Google Inc. will pay US$22.5-million to settle charges it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple Inc’s Safari browser, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday.
The deal ends an FTC probe into allegations that Google used computer code known as “cookies” to trick the Safari browser on iPhones and iPads so the Internet search company could monitor users who had blocked such tracking.
The practice was in violation of a 2011 consent decree Google negotiated with the FTC over botched rollouts of the social network Buzz, which is now defunct.

And

Quote:

It was the largest penalty ever placed on a company for violating an FTC order, yet the fine is a drop in the bucket compared to Google’s second-quarter revenues of US$12.21-billion.

Google also must disable the tracking cookies that ended up on Safari users’ computers and devices after visiting websites in Google’s DoubleClick advertising network, despite assurances they would not be tracked due to Safari’s default settings.

Thoughts I suppose? :L
10-08-2012, 10:39 AM
mrwoooooooo

Largest penalty ever... £14million. They obviously dont mind paying it :P
10-08-2012, 10:48 AM
GommeInc

It's funny, because it's being advertised as the largest fine by the FTC, yet in reality it is tiny compared to the usual fines being chucked around. It's sort of a non-story, because many large companies like Google could happily pay a fine like, it's just pocket change. As it is the FTC, it doesn't even hold any implications for future trading.
10-08-2012, 10:52 AM
MKR&*42

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwoooooooo

Largest penalty ever... £14million. They obviously dont mind paying it :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by GommeInc

It's funny, because it's being advertised as the largest fine by the FTC, yet in reality it is tiny compared to the usual fines being chucked around. It's sort of a non-story, because many large companies like Google could happily pay a fine like, it's just pocket change. As it is the FTC, it doesn't even hold any implications for future trading.

I'm not even sure how they can figure out what price to fine them. As far as I'm aware, privacy was destroyed but it didn't in effect cause any damage in terms of money? And yeah, 14 million is next to nothing compared to companies like Google haha.
10-08-2012, 10:57 AM
Matthew

Pocket money for google so I'm sure they don't really mind paying it!
10-08-2012, 11:06 AM
GommeInc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intersocial

I'm not even sure how they can figure out what price to fine them. As far as I'm aware, privacy was destroyed but it didn't in effect cause any damage in terms of money? And yeah, 14 million is next to nothing compared to companies like Google haha.

They don't seem to say why the fine was appropriate like some commissions. The statement by Commissoner Rosch only says it represents a miniscule amount of Google's profit and is based on Google denying a violation of the Order.

EDIT: That said, they might have a list of penalties and remedies they use, and a "violation of an order" must of been the only one that has warranted the largest penalty that can be put on Google. That said, you would think the FTC has served out violation of order penalties before :/ Literally no clue!

Google Will Pay $22.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges it Misrepresented Privacy Assurances to Users of Apple's Safari Internet Browser

Dissenting Statement (PDF file)
10-08-2012, 11:29 AM
MKR&*42

Quote:

Originally Posted by GommeInc

They don't seem to say why the fine was appropriate like some commissions. The statement by Commissoner Rosch only says it represents a miniscule amount of Google's profit and is based on Google denying a violation of the Order.

EDIT: That said, they might have a list of penalties and remedies they use, and a "violation of an order" must of been the only one that has warranted the largest penalty that can be put on Google. That said, you would think the FTC has served out violation of order penalties before :/ Literally no clue!

Google Will Pay $22.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges it Misrepresented Privacy Assurances to Users of Apple's Safari Internet Browser

Dissenting Statement (PDF file)

Oh right hmm =/ Do you think they should have even bothered fining them haha? If 1) They haven't stated a clean-cut reason for why it was necessary and 2) It's absolutely nothing in Google's eyes :L.

Only bad thing it can do is minimally damage their reputation - but I doubt it has that much tbh.
10-08-2012, 11:33 AM
GommeInc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intersocial

Oh right hmm =/ Do you think they should have even bothered fining them haha? If 1) They haven't stated a clean-cut reason for why it was necessary and 2) It's absolutely nothing in Google's eyes :L.

Only bad thing it can do is minimally damage their reputation - but I doubt it has that much tbh.

The court/commission need to be paid, so the fine does serve that purpose. Maybe the amount is literally just to cover costs to the court rather than be seen as a punishment? :P

I wouldn't say Google have taken any damage either :/ It's funny they use the de minimus rule in it's literal sense, it really is such a miniscule fine in the eyes of both the court and the defendant :P
10-08-2012, 11:35 AM
MKR&*42

Quote:

Originally Posted by GommeInc

The court/commission need to be paid, so the fine does serve that purpose. Maybe the amount is literally just to cover costs to the court rather than be seen as a punishment? :P

I wouldn't say Google have taken any damage either :/ It's funny they use the de minimus rule in it's literal sense, it really is such a miniscule fine in the eyes of both the court and the defendant :P

I suppose so haha. There really isn't another logical reason around it.
10-08-2012, 11:37 AM
GommeInc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intersocial

I suppose so haha. There really isn't another logical reason around it.

Indeed :P Or they haven't updated the amounts and $22 million was a sum they made up about years ago, which would be the equivilent of a few millions in todays money?
10-08-2012, 01:50 PM
iFlame

After all the money Google rake in, I doubt 14 million is something to worry about LOL.
14-08-2012, 12:09 AM
Dawson

I don't think people should be disputing the amount they were fined, if it was something like £4b people would be shouting about how ridiculously high that is and you have to take into account that the more they're fined the more they're putting people's jobs at risk etcetcetc which people can't afford to do in this climate.