Google Tracks Safari Users?

February 22nd, 2012 11:46 AM

Google Tracks Safari Users?

According to a report, the Google search engine avoids the Safari browser’s privacy protections.

A researcher from Stanford University was cited by The Wall Street Journal, claiming that Google disregarded Safari settings to block different tracking tools. According to the report, Google could log user activity on Safari’s iOS and OS X versions.

The Wall Street Journal also claims that Google disabled these components after being contacted by the paper.

However, Google said that the issue has been “mischaracterized” by the report. According to the statement of Rachel Whetstone – Google Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Policy – Google only used the code to offer services for those who accessed their Google accounts.

Whetstone said that a (temporary) communication link has been created between Google servers and Safari browsers, in order to determine if Safari users also accessed their Google accounts and have selected this type of personalization. Furthermore, the collected information was fully anonymous, with a blockade between the viewed web content and their personal information.

However, the use of cookies by various different third parties was not intentionally enabled. Google also stated that no personal information has been collected by cookies, but they would eliminate cookies from all contaminated systems.

Apple has also been questioned because of the company’s privacy practices. Apple was heavily criticized as iOS applications have been reportedly able to gain access to users address books, in the lack of their prior permission or at least notification.

EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) demands a well-organized and severe “Do Not Track” policy from both Google and their advertisers.

The EFF said that Google should accept the fact that they could significantly improve the level of respect of web user’s privacy. As a sign of good faith in the middle of the online privacy dispute, Google should offer effective options for user to control the data that is collected about them by the company.

For the moment, Apple failed to comment this issue.

Source of information