Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen announced Wednesday that Wisconsin, along with 36 other states, has entered into a settlement with Google in a lawsuit over the company’s tracking of Internet consumers.
States alleged that Google misled users of Apple’s web browser Safari, by recommending they install a plug-in that Google promised would block all cookies, which store and send users’ browsing information. Google later used the plug-in to track users.
Google halted this process in February 2012 after it was made public, according to the release from the state Department of Justice.
“Consumers using the Internet are entitled to accurate information about the privacy of their Internet browsing, including the tracking of their activity through the placement of cookies or otherwise,” Van Hollen said in a statement.
Google has agreed to pay the states involved $17 million, out of which Wisconsin receives $336,000. The money is set to be used for state-approved spending, such as attorney’s fees and consumer protection initiatives.
