Inside Google

Google faces questions from Congress; session should be public

Google is facing more questions from Congress. The Internet giant’s deliberate circumventing of privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser — that’s the one used on iPhones and iPads — is prompting the outrage. The deliberate privacy breach was discovered by Stanford University researcher Jonathan Mayer and reported first by The Wall Street Journal.

Stanford Study Finds Google Violated Privacy Choices, iPhone and iPads Targeted

Consumer Watchdog Says Internet Giant Lied To Users, Calls For FTC Action

SANTA MONICA, CA – In the wake of a Stanford University researcher’s study that found Google has been violating people’s online privacy choices, Consumer Watchdog said today the Internet giant was lying to users and called for the Federal Trade Commission to act. iPhone and iPad users were targeted.

Consumer Watchdog Calls For Google CEO Page To Testify About New Privacy Policy

WASHINGTON, DC — Consumer Watchdog has asked the House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee Committee to hold hearings on Google’s new privacy and data policy and to call Google CEO Larry Page ” to explain his company’s disingenuous statements about its supposed commitment to users’ privacy.”

Google’s Motorola Deal OK’d, But Regulators Vow to Monitor Patents

Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have cleared Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, but are vowing to keep a close eye on the Internet giant’s behavior after the deal goes through.

EPIC Files Suit To Block Google’s New Data Policy

Our friends at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) went to court Wednesday to block Google from combining data gathered from its various services without users’ consent.

Consumer Watchdog Praises European Action on Google’s New Privacy Policy, Calls For FTC To Determine If Proposed Changes Violate Consent Agreement

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today praised European data protection authorities for asking Google to delay implementation of its new privacy and data policies and said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission should determine whether the new policies violate the terms of Google’s consent agreement with the commission.

Consumer Watchdog Urges Google Congressional Briefing Be Open To Public, Says Closed-Door Session Demonstrates Internet Giant Executives’ ‘Hypocrisy’

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called for a Congressional briefing about Google’s new privacy and data policies to be open to the public and said a closed door-session with the lawmakers demonstrated Google executive’s “hypocrisy.”

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

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.

Consumer Watchdog During Brussels Visit Urges European Commission To Block Google’s Motorola Deal And File Formal Antitrust Complaint

BRUSSELS – Consumer Watchdog, a U.S.-based consumer advocacy group, today called for the EU’s antitrust regulators to block Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility and ultimately issue a formal antitrust complaint against the Internet giant’s ongoing business practices.

Consumer Watchdog Calls For President Obama to Endorse Do Not Track and Online Privacy Legislation During State of the Union Message

WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today called on President Obama to use the State of the Union message to endorse baseline privacy legislation and support Do Not Track regulations that would give consumers control of whether their information is gathered while they use the Internet.

FTC Will Probe Google’s Search Update

Google’s latest change to its search engine, dubbed “Search plus Your World” apparently has drawn the scrutiny of the Federal Trade Commission because of antitrust concerns, according to Bloomberg News.

Senators Call for Google Antitrust Probe

The top Senators on the Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee are expressing concern to the Federal Trade Commission over Google’s business practices and the Internet giant’s impact on competition in Internet search and commerce.

Consumer Watchdog Says Los Angeles Must Demand Removal of Deceptive Video After City Council Kills Plan for Police to Use Google’s Cloud-based Email

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called on Los Angeles officials to demand Google remove a deceptive video featuring Los Angeles City employees from a website marketing the Internet giant’s Google Apps for Government “cloud computing” service.