• The Wall Street Journal, Friday, March 16, 2012 12:13 PM

Whatever became of those reports that Google was bypassing the privacy settings of people using Apple's Safari Web browser? Turns out that regulators in the U.S. and EU are taking a close look into the matter. “The investigations -- which span U.S. federal and state agencies, as well as a pan-European effort led by France -- could embroil Google in years of legal battles and result in hefty fines for privacy violations,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

In February, WSJ reported that Google was using special computer code to install tiny tracking files, or "cookies," on some people's computers, iPhones and iPads -- even if the devices were set to block this kind of tracking. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly looking into whether Google's actions violated last year's legal settlement with the government in which the search giant pledged not to "misrepresent" its privacy practices to consumers. The fine for violating the agreement is $16,000 per violation, per day.

As WSJ notes, “Because millions of people were affected, any fine could add up quickly, depending on how it is calculated.” Meanwhile, a group of state attorneys general, including New York's Eric Schneiderman and Connecticut's George Jepsen, also appear to be investigating Google's circumvention of Safari's privacy settings.

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »