http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...red+Content%29
Google is reportedly set to hand over half a billion dollars to the feds to settle a criminal investigation into the search giant profiting from rogue pharmacy ads, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Google revealed a hint of the settlement earlier this week in a filing to the SEC that said it was setting aside $500 million for a government settlement, but didn?t specify why.
According to the WSJ?s Thursday report, the FDA and Rhode Island?s attorney general have been looking into whether Google profited illegally from ads placed by non-US pharmacies. Google and other search sites blocked many overseas pharmacy ads in early 2010, because it?s illegal for U.S. citizens to have such drugs imported.
Google did, however, make an exception for Canadian pharmacies?though it limited them to ones approved by a licensing body.
That compromise may not have been enough or soon enough for the authorities, who look set to extract a very large penalty from the search and online ad giant. Importing drugs into the US is not legal, though the feds almost always turn a blind eye to drugs from Canada and don?t prosecute individuals.