Inside Google

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Challenges Google to Make EU Antitrust Settlement Offer Public; U.S. Public Interest Group Says It Will Release Latest Proposal If Internet Giant Won’t

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog has challenged Google to make public its latest proposal to settle the European Commission’s antitrust investigation by 5 p.m. Wednesday, or the public interest group said it would release the proposed deal itself.

Press Release

Google Leads Tech Firms in Lobbying Expenses; Facebook Spending Up 47 Percent

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

WASHINGTON, DC — Google continued to lead tech firms in lobbying expenses during the third quarter, spending $3.4 million on its effort to buy influence with federal legislators and policymakers, according to disclosure forms just filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Press Release

23 US Public Interest Groups Back European Union Data Protection Regulation

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , Consumer Watchdog, 310-392-7041; and Jeff Chester, Center For Digital Democracy, 202-986-2220

WASHINGTON – A coalition of 23 US consumer, privacy and public interest groups today wrote the European Parliament expressing strong support for the proposed European Data Protection Regulation because “we believe that the promotion of stronger privacy standards in Europe will benefit consumers around the globe.”

Press Release

Five Public Interest Groups Underscore Opposition To Settlement In Google Privacy Suit

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and three other public interest groups today in re-iterating their opposition to a proposed $8.5 million settlement in a class action suit against Google for privacy violations in the way it handled users’ search data because proposed recipients of settlement funds don’t represent the interests of the class.

Press Release

Gmail Judge Holds Internet Accountable To Wiretap Laws In Key Consumer Victory

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA — In a seminal decision for online privacy, a federal judge in San Jose, CA., today rejected Google’s claims that wiretapping laws do not apply to its Gmail business and that consumers who email people with Gmail accounts have no legitimate expectation of privacy.

Press Release

Investigation Reveals Google Executives Dodged Taxes On Planes Based At Moffett Field In Sweetheart Deal

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

Consumer Watchdog Says U.S. Attorney Should Launch Probe
SANTA MONICA, CA — Google’s top executives avoided paying millions of dollars in local property taxes on their fleet of aircraft based at NASA’s Moffett Field, as well as bought government fuel substantially below market price, a new investigative report shows. Consumer Watchdog today said the U.S. Attorney should investigate.

Press Release

Pentagon Ends Sweetheart Fuel Deal For Google Execs’ Aircraft At Moffett Highlighted By Consumer Watchdog Two Years Ago

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

Group Calls For Eviction and Legal Probe

SANTA MONICA – The Pentagon has ended a deal described two years ago by Consumer Watchdog that allowed a company owned by top Google executives to buy jet fuel for a fleet of aircraft based at Moffett Field. The public interest group said today the aircraft should be evicted from the facility and an investigation opened to see if laws were broken.

Press Release

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Google Not Exempt From Wiretap Law In Wi-Spy Suit

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

Billions of Dollars At Stake For Google’s Collection Of Data With Street View Cars

SANTA MONICA, CA – A federal appeals court ruled today that Google’s interception of messages from private Wi-Fi networks is not exempt from federal wiretap laws, opening the way for a class action suit in the Wi-Spy case to move forward with possible damages amounting to billions of dollars.

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Urges European Commission To Charge Google In Antitrust Probe

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

Latest Settlement Proposal from Internet Giant Is “An Attempt To Obfuscate And Delay”

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called on the European Commission to file a formal Statement of Objections against Google in the nearly three-year-old antitrust investigation of the Internet giant and said Google’s latest settlement offer was an attempt to stall the investigation.

Press Release

Privacy Groups Urge FTC To Block Pending Facebook Privacy Changes

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

WASHINGTON, DC – A coalition of six consumer privacy groups is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to enforce an earlier consent order with Facebook and block proposed changes in the social network’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and its Data Use Policy because the proposed changes violate the 2011 settlement with the Commission.

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Calls On Gov. Brown To Sign ‘Do Not Track’ Legislation, But Cautions Law Is Only A Step Towards Knowledge, Not Full Consumer Power

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today urged Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a Do Not Track bill just passed by the State Legislature because it is a step towards consumer knowledge, but the public interest group added that ultimately consumers must have the right to simply say “no” to online tracking.

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog Joins EPIC In Opposing $8.5 Million Settlement In Google Suit

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA. – Consumer Watchdog joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and three other public interest groups today in opposing a proposed $8.5 million settlement in a class action suit against Google for privacy violations in the way it handled users’ search data because of at least “three obvious deficiencies” in the proposal.

Press Release

Google Is Either Lying To The Court Or To The Public, Consumer Watchdog Says

CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041

SANTA MONICA, CA – Google is either lying to the court or lying to the public, Consumer Watchdog said today, after the Internet giant made new public claims asserting it respects users’ privacy that contradicted an earlier court filing it made. Google said in a court filing that there was no legitimate expectation of privacy when emails were sent to its system.