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Google is nearing a deal to pay US$22.5 million to settle charges related to its surreptitious bypassing of the privacy settings of millions of Apple users, reports “The Wall Street Journal” (http://macte.ch/bzOmw), quoting unnamed “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.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer has raised concerns over Apple’s and Google’s reported digital mapping plans that use military-grade spy planes with enough precision to see through windows, catch detailed images of private backyard activities, and record images as small as four inches.

Apple is reportedly planning to replace Google Maps on its iOS devices with its own technology/apps and the new Google 3D maps may be a response to that, reports “ZDNet” (http://macte.ch/pxJb0).

On Thursday, Google unveiled a 3D version of Google Earth. The service allows users to move around, rotate, and interact with 3D images of cities. Google said it expects the service to work for a few major cities for Android and iOS in the coming weeks.

In a note to clients — as reported by “Fortune” — Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says the looming map wars (or perhaps that should be “reported” Map wars — in which Apple is reportedly planning to replace Google Maps as iOS’s default mapping app — isn’t likely to tip the balance one way or the other.