More Google News: Google Reaches Settlement With 37 States, Including SD, on Privacy Issue

On Tuesday, it was announced that Google had reached a $17 million settlement with the attorneys general of 37 states (and the District of Columbia) regarding privacy settings on the Safari browser. South Dakota was one of the 37 states included in the settlement and will receive almost $225,000.00 in addition to injunctive relief. 

According to a summary from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the attorneys general had alleged that "Google violated state consumer protection and privacy law by placing advertising tracking cookies on Safari browsers despite telling users that it would honor the default Safari privacy settings, which prevented the placement of such cookies."

For more information on the settlement and response from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, see the recent press release from the Attorney General's office.

A copy of the settlement is available here, which provides references to the states' consumer protection/computer abuse statutes. 

For further reading on internet privacy and consumer protection, consider one of the following library titles:

Margaret C. Jasper, Consumer Rights Law (2007)

Michael L. Rustad, Internet Law in a Nutshell (2009)