Google could face a bill of millions if British legal action over iPhone, iPad and Mac privacy concerns is successful.
The claims, co-ordinated by London-based law firm Olswang, centre around the way Google circumvented privacy settings on devices using Apple's Safari internet browser between September 2011 and February 2012 by installing cookies to allow user-targeted advertising through its DoubleClick ad network.
According to Olswang, "The claimants thought that cookies were being blocked on their devices because of Safari's strict default privacy settings and separate assurances being given by Google at the time. This was not the case."
If any of this sounds familiar it's because Google was already on the receiving end of a $22.5 million (?14.4 million) fine from the Federal Trade Commission in the US for the same thing in 2012.
Alexander Hanff, a privacy campaigner working with Olswang on the legal claims, added that, although the focus is on protecting consumer privacy, a successful action by UK Safari users could put the US fine in the shade.
"This group action is not about getting rich by suing Google, this lawsuit is about sending a very clear message to corporations that circumventing privacy controls will result in significant consequences," Hanff told the Guardian. "The lawsuit has the potential of costing Google tens of millions, perhaps even breaking ?100 million in damages given the potential number of claimants -- making it the biggest group action ever launched in the UK."
Speaking about the US fine, Google did not admit any wrongdoing and stated: "We have now changed [a help page the FTC claimed misled consumers over Google's cookie usage] and taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers."
However, UK claimant, 74-year-old Judith Vidal-Hall, said: "Google claims it does not collect personal data but doesn't say who decides what information is 'personal'. Whether something is private or not should be up to the internet surfer, not Google. We are best placed to decide, not them."
Dan Tench, a partner at Olswang, said: "Google has a responsibility to consumers and should be accountable for the trust placed in them. We hope that they will take this opportunity to give Safari users a proper explanation about what happened, to apologise and, where appropriate, compensate the victims of their intrusion."
Source: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/28/google-privacy-cookies
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