Inside Google

Consumer Watchdog Asks DoJ to Break Up Google

Emma Woollacott

An independent consumer group will today call on the Department of Justice to consider breaking Google up because of uncompetitive practices. Consumer Watchdog says the $23 billion corporation, which holds more than 70 percent of the search market, has a stranglehold on the market.

Google Faces Antitrust Questions, More Privacy Concerns

Lora Bentley

Privacy advocates. The Federal Trade Commission. The Chinese government. They’ve all been on Google’s back recently. And it seems the company is now on Consumer Watchdog’s blacklist as well. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based consumer advocacy group is lobbying the U.S. Department of Justice to begin an antitrust investigation into the search giant. In fact, the argument has also been made that the company may need to be broken up.

Google Spent $1.3 Million on Lobbying, What Are They Buying?

Addy Dugdale

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, revealed today that Google upped its spending on Washington lobbyists by a mammoth 57% from the same period last year. Lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Senate Office of Public Affairs show that the firm handed over $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2010, compared with $880,000 in 2009.

Consumer Group Calls for Antitrust Investigation of Google

Grant Gross

The U.S. Department of Justice should launch a broad antitrust investigation into Google’s search and advertising practices and consider a wide array of penalties, including possibly breaking the company up, a consumer group said Wednesday. Consumer Watchdog, along with a mobile entrepreneur and two lawyers representing Google rivals, all called on the DOJ to initiate an antitrust investigation focusing on a number of issues, including Google’s marriage of search results to advertising and its book search service.

Watchdog Wants Google’s Head as Google’s Lobbying Spend Jumps 57%

Clint Boulton

Consumer groups and privacy watchdogs suspicious of Google Creep — its growing size and extension on the Web — are looking at Google’s moves in Washington, D.C., with the flinty enthusiasm of fire and brimstone preachers.

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Calls on Justice Department to Launch Antitrust Action Against Google, Including Possible Breakup

CONTACT: John Simpson cell: 310-292-1902, or 202-629-3064

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Consumer Watchdog today called on the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a broad antitrust action against Google seeking remedial action that could include breaking the Internet giant into separate companies.

Buzz Saw: Privacy Czars Blast Google

Margot Williams

In a letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the “unprecedented” coalition of privacy czars from Europe, Canada and Israel described the surprise conversion of Google’s private email service to a public social networking service without informing users as a violation of “the fundamental principle that individuals should be able to control the use of their personal information.”

Google Spent $1.38 Million on Federal Lobbying in Q1

Alexei Oreskovic

Google spent $4.03 million lobbying the federal government last year, according to records on the Senate site, compared with Microsoft Corp’s $6.72 million and Oracle Corp’s $5.10 million. First-quarter figures from those companies were expected to be filed by the end of Tuesday. John Simpson, a consumer advocate with the group Consumer Watchdog, said the latest data shows the extent to which Google is increasing its lobbying efforts. Google has “gone from no presence in Washington, to really now what’s one of the biggest lobby shops around,” Simpson said.

Google’s Lobbying Spending Soars 57 Percent

John Simpson

Google increased its lobbying spending in the first quarter by a whopping 57 percent over the previous year as it paid $1.3 million to influence lawmakers and regulators, according to public records filed today. “Google is relatively new to the influence-peddling game, but they’re now one of the highest rollers in Washington,” said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog.

Consumer Group to Call for Google Break up

James Temple

Consumer Watchdog, the Santa Monica group that’s proving a perpetual thorn in the side of Google Inc., plans to call on the Justice Department to launch an antitrust action against the search giant and seek remedies including a possible break up.