Google To Pay $17M For Overriding Browser Privacy

How much will the NSA pay?

Google Inc. reached a $17-million settlement with 37 U.S. states over its circumvention of privacy settings for some Internet users.

The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., overrode default settings for Apple Inc.'s Safari browser that blocked cookies, small pieces of code that can allow companies to monitor consumer Web surfing, according to the office of the New York attorney general.

Google, owner of the world's most popular search engine, allowed cookies to be set on consumers' browsers through its DoubleClick advertising platform, according to the attorney general's office.