Report: Google and others tracking Safari browser users

Google and other companies which deliver online ads have been tracking which websites Apple Safari browsers have been accessing—despite default settings which are suppose to block online advertisers from doing so. Should you be concerned that Google is spying on your privacy?

According to the the Wall Street Journal, a study by Stanford University's Security Lab and the Center for Internet and Society, found that Google—and three other online advertising firms, Vibrant Media Inc., Media Innovation Group LLC and PointRoll Inc.—have been able to place so-called "cookies" on the Safari browsers of iPhones and other iOS devices. Such third-party software code allows for additional "functionality"—serving ads that closely match which the topic of sites you've visited or, in the case of Google, allowing users to tell others they "like" a particular ad or website using Google's "+1" feature.

Since the Journal's report, Google has stated its cookie code—delivered via online ads—wasn't designed to invade anyone's privacy nor did it collect any personal information from Safari users. And it has reportedly removed the code from ads served by its DoubleClick unit as well as repaired the parts of the Safari software that allow third-party cookies to bypass the browser's default privacy settings.

Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel for Consumers Union, the consumer advocacy arm of Consumer Reports says technology companies "should be checking their programs for vulnerabilities constantly, to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen." And while consumers might not have direct control over how pieces of software technology interacts with each other, Rusu says technology users can take steps towards online privacy.

"Consumers should continue to learn about and explore the various tools currently available to opt out of online behavioral marketing, said Rusu. "For example, they can set their browsers to reject third party cookies, periodically clean out the cookies on their machine, enable a browser's Do Not Track tool, or opt out through the industry self-regulation mechanism found at https://www.aboutads.info."

For more about protecting your online privacy, see Consumer Reports Guide to online security.

How Google Tracked Safari Users [Wall Street Journal]
Google Dodged IPhone Users' Privacy With DoubleClick, Stanford Study Finds [Bloomberg]
Google Accused of Tracking Safari Usage Without Permission [PC Magazine]
Google's Safari Tracking Dilemma: Reality Check [PC World]

—Paul Eng