Retailing: From A to Z

Google has regularly faced criticism — and sometimes, government inquiries — about its privacy and tracking strategies.

Earlier this year, Google’s adherence to its own standards was called into question. As discussed by Knowledge@Wharton: “Google, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal last week, has not been playing fair when it comes to upholding its own privacy standards. The company has been tracking ‘Web-browsing habits of people using Safari browser software even if [users] intended for that kind of monitoring to be blocked,’ the Journal article noted, adding that this behavior has led three U.S. congressmen to ask for a Federal Trade Commission investigation. The article also pointed out the company last year signed a privacy settlement with the FTC after the commission charged it with using ‘deceptive tactics and violating its own privacy promises to consumers’ when it launched its Buzz social network. As for the breach the Journal found last week, Google responded that it has deleted the tracking files in question and is addressing the congressmen’s concerns.”

Click the image for more on this story from Knowledge@Wharton.