Inside Google

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Microsoft’s Old Nemesis, Gary Reback, to Address Antitrust Probe of Google

By Byron Acohido , USA TODAY - TECHNOLOGY LIVE BLOG

Last April, Consumer Watchdog published this report, titled Traffic Report: How Google Is Squeezing Out Competitors and Muscling Into New Markets. The group formally asked the Justice Department to launch an antitrust probe of the search giant. But the European Commission beat their U.S. counterparts to the punch. “I welcome the European action, but Google is a U.S. Company and it’s long past time for our authorities to launch an investigation,” says Consumer Watchdog spokesman John Simpson.

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Google Faces EU Antitrust Investigation Over Search

By Clint Boulton , EWEEK.COM

Google watchdogs for the Consumer Watchdog praised the Commission’s move but lamented the lack of such scrutiny of the search engine in the U.S. “It’s long been clear that Google unfairly uses its dominance in search to benefit its own services,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Inside Google project. “I’m pleased with the European announcement, but this is a U.S. company and it is past time for our authorities to act decisively.”

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Welcomes EU Antitrust Probe of Google; Calls On U.S. Justice Department To Launch Investigation

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-292-1902; or Carmen Balber, 202-629-3043

Google’s Anticompetitive Tactics Will Be Topic At Group’s Conference Wednesday

WASHINGTON — Consumer Watchdog today welcomed the European Union’s antitrust investigation of Google and reiterated its call for the the U.S. Justice Department to launch its own investigation of the Internet giant.

News Clipping

Groups Urge FTC To Probe Online Health Marketing

By Juliana Gruenwald , TECH DAILY DOSE - NATIONAL JOURNAL

Four public interest groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday urging the agency to investigate whether those offering online health information and services are engaging in unfair and deceptive advertising practices.

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Privacy Groups Ask For Greater Oversight Of Pharma Ad Targeting

By Wendy Davis , ONLINE MEDIA DAILY

A coalition of privacy groups and other advocates are asking the Federal Trade Commission to probe whether online health marketers engage in deceptive practices by tracking users across the Web in order to serve them targeted ads.

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Privacy Groups Fault Online Health Sites for Sharing Personal Data

By Natasha Singer , THE NEW YORK TIMES

QualityHealth is one of a number of companies cited in the complaint to the F.T.C. filed by four nonprofit privacy and consumer advocacy groups. In the complaint, the Center for Digital Democracy, U.S. PIRG, Consumer Watchdog and the World Privacy Forum charged that online marketing of medications, products and medical services posed fundamental new risks to consumer privacy and health because of sophisticated data collection and patient-profiling techniques.

Blog Post

Google gets blurred in Germany

Posted by Jefferson Morley

There are fears, oft-discounted but still harbored by at least one Israeli intelligence official, that terrorists might use Google Street View to plan terrorist attacks. If so, Google’s offices in Munich are safer today, because they are blurred in Google Street View, according to CNET’s Technically Incorrect.

Blog Post

FBI at the backdoor to the Internet

Posted by Jefferson Morley

The Obama administration is advancing plans for strengthening the federal government’s ability to monitor the Internet.

Blog Post

Hard-coding bias in Google “algorithmic” search results

Posted by Ben Edelman

Google tells the public its results have “no manual intervention” and result “solely” from “completely automated” “computer algorithms” that “reflect the popular opinion of the Web” “completely objectively”. It’s a lofty promise, but is it true?

News Clipping

Consumer Group Demands Hearing On Google ‘Wi-Spy’

By Sara Jerome , THEHILL.COM

Ardent Google critic Consumer Watchdog has called on Congress to hold hearings on a major privacy breach by the Internet search engine giant, and insists that CEO Eric Schmidt should come to Washington to testify.

News Clipping

Group Claims Contradiction In Google Official’s Testimony

By Juliana Gruenwald , TECH DAILY DOSE - NATIONAL JOURNAL

Consumer Watchdog, one of Google’s most persistent critics called on the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday to hold a hearing into the firm’s Wi-Fi data collection controversy, citing a discrepancy in a Google official’s testimony on the matter during a Senate hearing in June.

News Clipping

FCC Picks Up Where FTC Left Off In Google Wi-Spy Case

By Chris Nerney , ITWORLD.COM

Two weeks after the Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation of online search giant Google’s Street View mapping project without taking action, another government agency is picking up where the FTC left off. Meanwhile, Consumer Watchdog on Thursday requested a congressional investigation and testimony under oath from Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Alma Whitten, the company’s director of privacy for engineering and product management.

Press Release

Google employee’s misleading testimony prompts Consumer Watchdog to call for Wi-Spy hearing

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041, or cell: 310-292-1902

CEO Schmidt Should Go To Washington Under Oath

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold hearings into Google’s Wi-Spying because a ranking employee of the Internet giant gave testimony that contradicted known facts about the company’s massive privacy invasion.