Safari users told they can take Google to court

People who browse the web using Safari have been told by the courts that they can sue web giant Google for violating cookie privacy rules.

The London Appeal Court has given users the  go-ahead to sue Google for allegations of secret web tracking. The Californian search giant, along with other tech companies that have been vocal in supporting users over government surveillance evasion, now also have to face accusations of hypocrisy.

In the ‘Cookiegate’ scandal from 2011 to 2012, Google was accused of overriding the security settings of Safari users in order to install cookies that kept track of web activity for targeted ad purposes.

On Friday, 27th March, the Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling that Google can be sued by UK-based Safari users.

Lady Justice Sharp commented:

“These claims raise serious issues which merit a trial. They concern what is alleged to have been the secret and blanket tracking and collation of information, often of an extremely private nature and the subsequent use of that information for about nine months.”

Google responded by saying:

“We’re disappointed with the Court’s decision, and are considering our options.”

With such an esteemed supporter of web security accused of breaching internet privacy, it can make it hard to know who to trust online. Businesses need to understand the levels of concern their customers and prospects have over online security issues, and do all that they can to make their websites as secure as possible. Opening cyber security jobs to trained individuals to achieve this is becoming more and more important in the modern climate.