U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston has ruled that the proposed legal settlement in which Google agreed to pay a record fine of $22.5 million for privacy violation allegations is “fair, adequate and reasonable,” Mercury News reports. The settlement follows an FTC investigation into Google’s use of cookies to track users of Apple’s Safari web browser. Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog had said the settlement does not prevent Google from conducting similar tracking in the future and does not require it to destroy data already collected, calling for a tougher settlement. Illston said she agrees with the FTC that the settlement “sufficiently protects consumers from ongoing harm without exposing them to additional risks.”
Full Story