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Google Could Face $10 Million Fine For Tracking Safari Users

20 points by unstoppableted 14y ago

zitterbewegung 14y ago
For some reason I don't think this punishment isn't enough or will significantly impact them. Wouldn't the tracking information be much more valuable than 10 million dollars?
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  There are very few monetary penalties that will affect a company making as much money as Google. I think the goal is that it will act as a deterrent in future (if they breach privacy like this again they may get a far greater penalty) and will prevent other companies from acting in a similar way.
  - tomflack 14y ago
    Exclusion from future government contracts for X years? Google is bidding pretty hard to get their FISMA-certified apps used by the US government. It's not really a direct monetary penalty, though.
  - zitterbewegung 14y ago
    Thats not what I was arguing. It doesn't matter that Google can absorb the cost. I was saying that can Google make more than 10 million dollars off of the data.
    - Drbble 14y ago
      Maybe, but the data involved in this case is a pretty small smidge in Google's overall data collection and monetization systems.
rorrr 14y ago
The company is making 10 billion in revenues PER QUARTER. I don't think they give a shit about $10M.
gcb 14y ago
And i hope it's going to the users and apple is next in line as a facilitator. If that happens i will go back to give justice the benefit of the doubt.
goggles99 14y ago
Isn't the purpose of fines like this meant to punish and deter this type of behavior? Well then why don't they fine an entity by a percentage of it's value to make it actually "sting" Google a bit? Sure $10Mill may be more than they would have charged DuckDuckGo if they were doing this, but I don't think that they would fine DuckDuckGo $100 (would likely be much higher) on a relative scale though, this is about how much they are fining Google.
js4all 14y ago
They have messed with their own "don't be evil" policy. First their official privacy policy shift (http://www.google.com/policies/ http://www.google.com/policies/) and then these evil techniques.

For some reason I don't think this punishment isn't enough or will significantly impact them. Wouldn't the tracking information be much more valuable than 10 million dollars?

k-mcgrady 14y ago
There are very few monetary penalties that will affect a company making as much money as Google. I think the goal is that it will act as a deterrent in future (if they breach privacy like this again they may get a far greater penalty) and will prevent other companies from acting in a similar way.
- tomflack 14y ago
  Exclusion from future government contracts for X years? Google is bidding pretty hard to get their FISMA-certified apps used by the US government. It's not really a direct monetary penalty, though.
- zitterbewegung 14y ago
  Thats not what I was arguing. It doesn't matter that Google can absorb the cost. I was saying that can Google make more than 10 million dollars off of the data.
  - Drbble 14y ago
    Maybe, but the data involved in this case is a pretty small smidge in Google's overall data collection and monetization systems.

rorrr 14y ago

The company is making 10 billion in revenues PER QUARTER. I don't think they give a shit about $10M.

gcb 14y ago

And i hope it's going to the users and apple is next in line as a facilitator. If that happens i will go back to give justice the benefit of the doubt.

goggles99 14y ago

Isn't the purpose of fines like this meant to punish and deter this type of behavior? Well then why don't they fine an entity by a percentage of it's value to make it actually "sting" Google a bit? Sure $10Mill may be more than they would have charged DuckDuckGo if they were doing this, but I don't think that they would fine DuckDuckGo $100 (would likely be much higher) on a relative scale though, this is about how much they are fining Google.

js4all 14y ago

They have messed with their own "don't be evil" policy. First their official privacy policy shift (http://www.google.com/policies/ http://www.google.com/policies/) and then these evil techniques.