Inside Google

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Facebook’s IPO May Be the Last Straw for Privacy-Minded Users

By Erika Morphy , E-COMMERCE TIMES

Even as a private company, Facebook had no problem pushing the envelope, Consumer Watchdog spokesperson Carmen Balber told the E-Commerce Times. “Facebook is already treading dangerous waters as far as privacy rights are concerned. The pressure to monetize consumers’ user data will be greater when there are shareholders to satisfy.”

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Privacy Advocates, Businesses Dig In for EU Lobbying Campaign

By Erika Morphy , E-COMMERCE TIMES

Facebook, et al., have descended on the city in the hope of softening some of the restrictions, while privacy advocates such as John M. Simpson, the Privacy Project director at Consumer Watchdog, are there to keep the EU on its intended path.

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Privacy Advocates Fiercely Furrow Brows at Google

By Richard Adhikari , TECHNEWSWORLD.COM

The announcement of the changes sparked concern among privacy watchdogs both in the United States and the European Union. “Consumers’ online privacy is being eroded,” growled John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog.

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Google Centers Privacy Policies Around Google+

By Clint Boulton , EWEEK.COM

This privacy practice changes will likely also provoke protests from the Electronic Information Privacy Center, which is currently opposing Search, plus your world, as well as the Consumer Watchdog agency.

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Says Sweeping Online Data Protection In Europe Could Benefit U.S. Consumers

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-292-1902; or Carmen Balber, 310-403-0284

Google’s New Arrogant Data Consolidation Policy Underscores Need For Strong Protections

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Landmark online privacy regulations proposed in Europe today that include the concept of a “right to be forgotten” could help provide U.S. consumers with tools necessary to protect their data held by Internet giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, if ultimately enacted, Consumer Watchdog said today.

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Who Would Pay $5,000 to Use Google? (You)

By Quentin Fottrell , SMARTMONEY.COM

The European Union announced new proposals Wednesday to keep online data private. In the U.S., there is a growing chorus of lawmakers who want to do the same . Currently, there are no state or federal limits on what information can be collected or with whom it can be shared, according to John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, a California-based non-profit organization. Online data gathered can also be used in marketing housing, insurance, and financial services, Simpson says.

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EU Releases Broad Internet Privacy Recommendations

By Kevin Shalvey , INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

A pro-privacy group, Consumer Watchdog, says the “landmark” recommendations are a boon for anyone concerned about keeping personal information private. Consumer Watchdog, a longtime Google critic, pointed to Google’s decision to integrateGoogle+ information into search results as a sign that new regulations are necessary to protect consumers.

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U.S. Firms Wary of EU’s Proposed Privacy Changes

By Juliana Gruenwald , TECHDAILYDOSE - NATIONAL JOURNAL

“Once Google and Facebook are following European rules, there will be no way for the companies to justify the obviously inadequate protection in the U.S.,” John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a vocal Google critic, said in a statement. Google has come under fire after it said Tuesday that it plans to begin tracking users and collecting data about them as they move from one Google service to another.

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Google Tops as ‘Lord of the Lobbying’ with $10 Million in 2011

By Surojit Chatterjee , INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES

“They’ve decided to play the corrupt corporate cash and carry Washington (game) like many firms such as Microsoft have long done,” John Simpson, a consumer advocate for Consumer Watchdog, told CNET. “What sets them apart, though, is they still hold themselves out to be different from the rest.”

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Spending Plus Online Clout Put Google In Lobbying Class of Its Own

By Josh Smith , NATIONAL JOURNAL - NEXTGOV

Google’s spending caught the eye of its critics. The group Consumer Watchdog, which consistently targets Google, accused the company’s executives of having “no qualms about spending lots of money to get their way.”

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Consumers Oppose Google-Motorola Mobile Merger

By Staff Writers , EUROPOLITICS

An American consumer advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog, wrote to Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, on 24 January, to ask him to ban Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobile (see separate article). “Google controls 95% of the mobile search market.

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Google Overtakes Microsoft in Federal Lobbying Spending

By Clint Boulton , EWEEK.COM

Consumer Watchdog is one such organization that took umbrage to Google’s lobbying spend, which is up 88 percent from 2010. The consumer advocate said Google has abandoned its “Don’t Be Evil” roots by buying into “Washington’s corrupt “cash and carry” political system.

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Q4 2011 Lobbying Report Shows Google Spending Skyrocketed

By Adam Bender & Tim Warren, COMMUNICATIONS DAILY

Consumer Watchdog condemned the increased lobbying by web services. Google “has abandoned its idealistic ‘Don’t Be Evil’ roots and has bought into Washington’s corrupt ‘cash and carry’ political system,” the consumer group said. “Facebook, relatively new to the Washington lobbying scene, now appears headed down the same morally bankrupt path as Google,” Consumer Watchdog said. Facebook declined to respond. Google didn’t answer a request for comment.