HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Connecticut signed a multi-state settlement agreement with a Gannett Corp. subsidiary that involves allegations the digital firm violated Internet privacy settings, state Attorney General George Jepsen announced on Thursday.
PointRoll, Inc. agreed to the $750,000 settlement following allegations that it circumvented users' computer settings via cookies on iPhones and iPads using Safari Internet browsers. Cookies allow advertising companies to track a user's Internet history.
"Consumers should have the right to freely surf the Web without concern that advertisers are utilizing various efforts to bypass privacy settings in order to extract information," Jepsen said. “We take allegations of bypassing consumers' privacy settings seriously and remain vigilant of conduct that attempts to circumvent such settings without a user's knowledge or consent."
Connecticut will receive $110,000 of the $750,000 settlement. Florida, Maryland, New York, Illinois and New Jersey also are part of the settlement agreement.