Google is facing some scrutiny over its latest tracking browser activities.  The first situation was exposed by the Wall Street Journal, claiming Google used a computer code to track the browsing activities of Safari users.  The second one is from Microsoft, claiming that Google bypasses IE protections to place cookies that tracks users across the web.

Some may not even care about this issue, but if proven true, Google is guilty of violating the privacy of a lot of people.

A man from Lawrence, Kansas, James Henry Rischar, is suing Google in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City for illegally obtaining his personal information, conspired to use it for targeted marketing, and for violating the federal Wiretap Act.

“Leading up to February 2012, Google tracked, collected and stored its users’ wire or electronic communications, including but not limited to portions of their Internet browsing history even when the users were using their Safari browsers with settings intended to block tracking user activity across the Internet,” Rischar’s attorneys stated in the suit.

Google tried to iron-out the issue by explaining what the incident was all about.

Google senior vice president for communications and public policy Rachel Whetstone clarified that, “The (Wall Street) Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why. We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled. It’s important to stress that these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.  We didn’t anticipate that this would happen, and we have now started removing these advertising cookies from Safari browsers.  It’s important to stress that, just as on other browsers, these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.”

It’s not entirely surprising that Google finds itself in hot water over tracking.  Similar concerns were raised when Google initiated its Google Street Views photos for maps, as well as GPS tracking for Android users.  Always faced with a privacy concern, Google’s sitting in a familiar seat right now.  Whether or not they’ll be found guilty of adverse methods remains to be seen, but there’s no price to be placed on consumer awareness.