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How The FTC Screwed Up The Google Investigation
The US Federal Trade Commission’s reported closing of its Google search bias investigation, with no real enforceable settlement mechanism and a special new self-enforcement antitrust precedent apparently only available to Google, raises serious questions about the integrity of the FTC’s law enforcement process and whether the FTC accords Google with special treatment not available to other companies.
US Judge Approves FTC’s Largest Ever Fine, To Be Paid By Google
Nine months on from the Wall Street Journal spotting a massive Google privacy issue — namely, that it was circumventing cookie privacy settings in Safari — the search giant’s fate is now sealed. A judge has approved the FTC’s largest ever fine, in the process rejecting appeals from a consumer-rights group that the sum should be higher, which means Google is set to pony up a cool $US22.5 million.
Google’s Being Hit With A Federal Probe Again
Fresh off its pitiful $US25,000 fine over collecting private Wi-Fi information with its Street View cars, Google is the target of a new investigation. This time, it’s because Google was found to be bypassing security settings to store cookies on unwilling mobile Safari users’ phones.
Apple Subpoenaed Over Google Search On iOS Devices
The US Federal Trade Commission has subpoenaed Apple as part of an antitrust probe of Google, in order to determine how search is incorporated into iOS devices. The request for information specifically asks for details about agreements that made Google the default search engine on Apple’s mobile devices.
