Federal Judge - Google Privacy Settlement "Fails Smell Test"
A federal judge reviewing a proposed class action settlement in a case concerning Google's disclosure of user data to third parties has said "it doesn't pass the smell test." A coalition of consumer privacy organizations, including EPIC, urged the judge to reject the settlement because it required no substantial change in Google's business practices and provided no benefit to class members. The consumer privacy organization wrote to the judge when the settlement was first proposed and again last week, before the final fairness hearing. The groups cited the skepticism expressed by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts about a similar privacy settlement. The consumer privacy groups also alerted the FTC Class Action Fairness Project and the California Attorney General about the pending settlement. For more information, see EPIC: Search Engine Privacy.