Pressure on Google over privacy problems mounts

Pressure against Google is mounting over the company’s questionable privacy practices. The Electronic Privacy Information Center pursued its lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission — a move aimed at getting the agency to fine Google over a new policy that advocates say would violate user privacy.

EPIC said that recent revelations that Google may have purposefully worked around the privacy settings of Apple’s Safari browser show the firm needs to be punished for its behavior. “The Safari hack provides more evidence that Google should be barred from making the proposed changes on March 1,” said Mark Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC. On March 1, Google plans to combine data from users’ Gmail across its 60 services to be used for behavioral advertising. Account holders to Google’s services cannot opt out of the new system.