Google: $22.5 Million Fine Payable To The FTC

Last February Google was accused of implanting a cookie on Safari, reportedly designed to "spy" on the web browser's users. According to the Internet giant the purpose of the cookie was to improve its targeted advertising. Now the fine imposed on Google by the FTC has just taken a considerable hike.

This "hidden cookie affair" made quite a bang last February. After being caught red-handed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google agreed to avoid prosecution by paying a fine. As reported by Bloomberg, Google's initial $25,000 penalty had risen to $10 million in May.

Now even that may have been a conservative figure. In an article published yesterday, the Wall Street Journal revealed that the sum has risen even further. Sources close to the case informed the WSJ that Google is soon to pay a whopping $22.5 million penalty to the FTC.

If confirmed, this would be the largest fine the FTC has ever imposed on a company. Then again, while these are sums to make your head spin, it isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to the whole of Google's fortune. According to the WSJ, that's roughly the amount Google earns in just five hours.