Google Reaches $39.9 Million Privacy Settlement With Washington State (reuters.com) 9
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Google will pay Washington state $39.9 million to resolve a lawsuit accusing the Alphabet unit of misleading consumers about its location tracking practices, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on Thursday. The settlement resolves claims that Google deceived people into believing they controlled how the search and advertising company collected and used their personal data. In reality, the state said Google was able to collect and profit from that data even if consumers disabled its tracking technology on their smartphones and computers, invading consumers' privacy.
A consent decree filed on Wednesday in King County Superior Court requires Google to be more transparent about its tracking practices, and provide a more detailed "Location Technologies" webpage describing them. "Today's resolution holds one of the most powerful corporations accountable for its unethical and unlawful tactics," Ferguson said in a statement. Google, based in Mountain View, California, denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. "In November, Google agreed to pay $391.5 million to resolve similar allegations by 40 U.S. states," notes Reuters. "Some states including Washington chose to sue Google on their own about its tracking practices."
A consent decree filed on Wednesday in King County Superior Court requires Google to be more transparent about its tracking practices, and provide a more detailed "Location Technologies" webpage describing them. "Today's resolution holds one of the most powerful corporations accountable for its unethical and unlawful tactics," Ferguson said in a statement. Google, based in Mountain View, California, denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. "In November, Google agreed to pay $391.5 million to resolve similar allegations by 40 U.S. states," notes Reuters. "Some states including Washington chose to sue Google on their own about its tracking practices."
This is just the cost of doing business (Score:5, Interesting)
If the people who sanction these offenses against thousands of citizens don't pay a real price, they have zero incentive to change the way they do business.
Triple the fines and drag a few board members off to prison for a year or so. Stick the bastards in cells with video cameras in the corner watching their every move and see how they like having their privacy invaded.
Re: (Score:3)
Triple is probably still far too low, but CEO and some board-members should definitely go behind bars for this one for a year or so and no "ankle bracelet" bullshit.
Peanuts (Score:3)
This is probably far cheaper than what they already factored in. It is pretty clear Google is intentionally and knowingly acting illegal these days and just regards fines as the cost of doing business. And if the fines are then as laughably low as this one...
Re:Peanuts (Score:5, Interesting)
I wish companies weren't allowed to settle all the time. Settling is money buying the law. It's disgusting and an insult to the rest of us who can't pay our way out of legal trouble. They really need to be dished out convictions as often as possible. Since corporations are supposed to be people too, that would go into their criminal records wouldn't it?
The second thing I wish is that damage amounts followed a power law. In other words, each time they're found guilty of the same crime, the money they have to cough up doubles. It wouldn't take long for damages to reach bankrupcy levels, even for behemoths like Google. Anything under a billion dollars is pocket money to them, and constitute exactly zero deterrence.
The third thing that needs to happen is company officers doing hard time when the company they head reoffends. I guarantee that would be proper deterrence. But as things stand today, they're free to direct their company to break the law over and over without any kind of personal consequences.
Re:Peanuts (Score:4, Insightful)
Yep. If you are a large enough company, the law has been neutralized and you just pay a small fine occasionally so the other side can keep pretending to enforce something. Either nobody understands that this erodes society or nobody cares.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, it's Groundhog Day. Google / Facebook / MS / etc etc lies, makes billions from the lies, pays a "fine" for 2% of that income (and doesn't even pay taxes on it, FFS).
What the hell happened to profits from criminal activities automatically being forfeit? Oh, right: the additional 2% paid in bribes takes care of that part now. sigh...
What a bogus outcome for the victims. (Score:2)
âoe⦠Google to be more transparent about its tracking practices, and provide a more detailed "Location Technologies" webpage describing them.â
Washington could have settled with something as simple as Google to reach out to affected folk and explain the violation, and how sorry they are, and what they are going to do to not violate them again. Transparency, a portal etc - when did these actually make a difference? Has anyone said, oh this portal told me clearly they were going to disrega
Great! (Score:2)
Now can you bastards over at the Washington State Department of Licensing quit selling my personal information to everyone?
I'm assuming they are selling it rather than giving it away for free. Seeing how they seem to be continuously broke and begging for funds like a hobo with a cardboard sign.
Re: Great! (Score:2)