In a late Friday ruling, U. S. District Judge Susan Illston approved the $22.5-million penalty which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had imposed against Internet search giant Google three months back; even though a Los Angeles-based consumer advocacy group - Consumer Watchdog - had called for a much bigger fine against the company.

The fine was imposed against Google was part of a settlement which the company had worked out with the FTC to resolve the charges that Google had circumvented the privacy settings on Apple's Safari browser for tracking the online activities of users and displaying personalized ads to them.

Despite the fact that the $22.5-million penalty happens to be the biggest-ever fine which the FTC has imposed against any company for a civil violation, Consumer Watchdog has been arguing that the mentioned penalty was not stiff enough for Google, especially since Google generated approximately $38 billion in revenue in 2011.

In addition, the consumer advocacy group has also been expressing displeasure at Google's arguments that it sidestepped Apple's software `by accident'; and has been asserting that Google should have admitted wrongdoing as part of its settlement with the FTC.

About Judge Illston's approval of the FTC-imposed penalty against Google, John Simpson - director of the Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project - said: "We were disappointed, but think we made important points that will have an impact on how similar cases are dealt with in the future."