Google fined over Safari privacy violation

US Federal Trade Commission orders web giant to pay $22.5m for violating privacy of rival Apple's Safari browser users. Feedback

Internet giant Google is being accused of bypassing privacy settings on Apple computers and IPhones [Al Jazeera]

The US Federal Trade Commission has fined Google $22.5m for violating the privacy of people who used rival Apple's Safari web browser even after pledging not to do so. The FTC said Google had agreed with the commission in October 2011 not to place tracking cookies on or deliver targeted ads to Safari users, but then went ahead and did so. "For several months in 2011 and 2012, Google placed a certain advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google's DoubleClick advertising network," the FTC said in a statement on Thursday. "Google had previously told these users they would automatically be opted out of such tracking." Jon Leibowitz, the FTC chairman, said: "No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place." David Vladeck, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, questioned Google's efforts on privacy protection. "It is troubling to us that Google says, we didn't know," he told reporters. "The answer on Street View was, we didn't realize what was going on. Their answer here is, we didn't know." "A company like Google that is storing personal information from hundreds of millions of people has to do better." "As regulators it is hard to know which answer is worse, I didn't know or I did it deliberately," he added. While Google agreed to the fine, it did not admit it had violated the earlier agreement. A Google spokesperson said the FTC was focused on a help centre web page published more than two years before Google agreed to refrain from the cookie activities on Safari. "We have now changed that page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers," the spokesperson said. "We set the highest standards of privacy and security for our users."

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Amosun jets to Saudi aboard N26m chartered flight

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday travelled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Amosun, who jetted out aboard a N26 million chartered flight, left the shores of Nigeria to perform this year's Umrah (lesser Hajj).

The governor was accompanied on the holy pilgrimage by an array of his aides.

His advance team departed Nigeria for Saudi Arabia about three days ago.

Sources close to the seat of government in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta confided in the Nigerian Compass that a sum of N26 million was paid for Amosun's chartered flight.

The trip has already sent tongues wagging as people of the state are wondering the rationale behind the governor's decision to use such a whopping sum apparently from the state coffers.

It will be recalled that Amosun's penchant for exorbitant chartered flight generated controversy in February, this year, when he travelled to the Philippines on a business trip.

The rash of criticisms that followed the Philippines trip apparently forced the governor to change and board commercial flights for subsequent air travels.

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