The Wall Street Journal was first to break the news about Google circumventing the security of Mobile Safari users on iOS, and now they also are the first to report the settlement between Google and the FTC:

Google Inc. is close to a deal to pay $22.5 million to settle charges related to its surreptitious bypassing of the privacy settings of millions of Apple Inc. users, according to officials briefed on the settlement terms.

The fine is expected to be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. It offers the latest sign of the FTC’s stepped-up approach to policing online privacy violations, coming just six months after The Wall Street Journal reported on Google’s practices.

The settlement amount is pocket change for Google.

Essentially Google tricked Safari into accepting a cookie and allowed the tracking of users for up to 24 hours. I support Google and use their services, but trying to pull one of these fast ones on mobile users without them knowing isn’t right. It’s downright evil.