Inside Google

Lawmakers, Consumer Advocates Urge Federal Probe of Carrier IQ Mobile Services

Yu-Ting Wang

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Al Franken D-Minn., and Consumer Watchdog are asking federal regulators to investigate whether mobile software firm Carrier IQ’s practices violate consumer privacy rights. And groups like the Center for Digital Democracy are calling for federal privacy legislation. The company came under fire after reports that its software, installed on many major carriers’ smartphones, collects and transmits potentially sensitive data about device users. Carriers using Carrier IQ claimed they solely use the service to improve and maintain network performance.

Carrier IQ Defends Itself in Furor Over Smartphone Users’ Privacy

David Sarno

Advocacy groups such as Free Press in Washington, D.C., and Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica called for congressional and regulatory probes into Carrier IQ. And on Friday, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the company. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent the company a letter requesting information about its data collection practices.

Consumer Watchdog Asks Justice Department, FCC To Investigate ‘Spyphone Scandal’

John M. Simpson

Probe of Wiretap Violations Should Include Google, Apple As Well As Software Maker

WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today called for a federal investigation into the “Spyphone Scandal”, in which software embedded in smartphones surreptitiously tracks users’ activities, including their keystrokes and numbers they dialed.

Consumer Watchdog Wants Probe of Carrier IQ, Carriers

Grant Gross

Consumer Watchdog has called for a U.S. government investigation of Carrier IQ, the maker of tracking software for mobile phones, and its users.

Carrier IQ Faces Lawsuits, Lawmaker Seeks FTC Probe

Elinor Mills

The Consumer Watchdog activist group asked the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the “Spyphone Scandal.” “The probe should extend beyond the software developer, Carrier IQ, and include operating systems developers like Google and Apple as well as carriers and device manufacturers, the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group said.

Carrier IQ: Consumer Watchdog Asks Justice, FCC to Investigate

Shaylin Clark

Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog announced this afternoon that it has sent letters to the Justice Department and the FCC calling on them to investigate not only Carrier IQ, but also operating system makers, as well as handset manufacturers and phone carriers for their role in what it has dubbed the “Spyphone scandal.”

All Eyes On Carrier IQ Following Spyware Allegations

Richard Adhikari

“If they’re gathering every individual’s keystrokes, that’s a tremendous invasion of privacy, John Simpson, director of the privacy project at Consumer Watchdog, told TechNewsWorld.

Criminal Probe Into Online Mortgage Scams Widens

Michael Liedtke

Consumer Watchdog, a group that published a study about mortgage ad scams nine months ago, is calling for criminal charges and financial penalties against the major search engines in the current investigation. “These Internet company executives were active enablers of fraud against vulnerable homeowners,” said John Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project. “They cannot be allowed to benefit from these ill-gotten gains.”

Bing, Yahoo Agree to Remove Mortgage Ads

Josh Smith

Consumer Watchdog, a group that frequently criticizes Google, wasted no time on Monday calling for executives at Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo to be charged with crimes for allowing the ads to go up in the first place.

Feds Target Mortgage Ad Scams On Bing, Yahoo

Jay Greene

“Clearly Microsoft and Yahoo have been turning a blind eye to these scammers,” said John Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project. “Simply put, too many Internet companies including Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo–under the guise of an open Internet–allow and even encourage scam ads from which they make millions of dollars.”