A research study conducted by Stanford University’s Security Lab and the Center for Internet and Society released today reveals that Google has violated users’ online privacy choices. Apparently Google and its DoubleClick ad network have been bypassing a privacy setting in Apple’s Safari, iPhone’s primary web browser. Three other companies were also named in the study: Vibrant Media Inc., Media Innovation Group LLC and PointRoll Inc.
The iPhone’s Safari broser is set to block third-party cookies by default, but Google and the previously mentioned companies have taken measures to circumvent this feature. Allowing these cookies make it possible for companies to track users online activities.
Google claims that they have started removing the advertising cookies and that no personal information has been collected.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what to make of this study’s findings. Should it come as a huge surprise that we don’t have as much privacy as it appears? I certainly don’t agree with Google’s actions to observe users online activity on the iPhone, but how much can be done about this? Google says they have stopped doing it, but have they? The article I linked to earlier mentioned getting the Federal Trade Commission involved, but will that actually happen?
So many questions… So few answers...
One of the problems with this sort of legal case is that the technology is so new that there's not really much of a precedent for any of it. I read the article, and I'm still not entirely sure exactly how illegal Google's actions are, or if they're really illegal at all. Bad for consumers, certainly, but that's not always the same thing.
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