Inside Google

Consumer Watchdog Channeling Marcel Marceau

Juliana Gruenwald

Consumer Watchdog plans to deploy a group of mimes wearing white track suits emblazoned with Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” motto Wednesday, just as Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The mimes will mercilessly track senators and their staffers as they move through the Dirksen Senate office building..

Consumer Watchdog’s New Animated Video Satirizes Google Executives And Challenges Google’s Information Monopoly On Eve of Schmidt’s Senate Testimony

Carmen Balber

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Watchdog’s latest online animated video debuted today, satirizing Google CEO Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt to dramatize Google’s information monopoly and make the case for Do Not Track Legislation. The video, “Supercharge,” exposes actual quotes by the executives and shows the two Google executives stalking a United States Senator through the signal in his Android mobile phone.

Political Theater Will Follow Google’s Schmidt to D.C.

Jay Greene

While there are plenty of groups worried about Internet privacy, few have gone to the lengths of Consumer Watchdog, which relishes its role as a thorn in Google’s side. In addition to the videos, the group has sponsored conferences, written editorials, and taken out ads, all aimed at focusing a spotlight on Google’s conduct. Its primary concern is that Google is gathering a huge trove of personal information, much of it without consumers’ knowledge. Worse still, according to the group, is that consumers are powerless to stop it. Consumer Watchdog’s Court refers to the data that Google is able to amass as “an information monopoly.”

Does Google Want to Own or Organize Information?

Jay Greene

“This is exactly why Google is on the hot seat for antitrust,” said Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court, an activist and frequent thorn in Google side. “This is when the search engine becomes the find engine.”

Europe Taking Much Stricter Stance On Do-Not-Track Rules

Byron Acohido

John Simpson, spokesman for the non-profit Consumer Watchdog advocacy group says “the Europeans have exactly the right approach. They are asking that a consumer must be given the right to opt in before a cookie is placed.” Simpson says the IAB’s icon alert mechanism is “mostly window dressing.” He says if European regulators do end up imposing a strict opt-in rule across Europe, Google, Facebook and the other data aggregators and ad networks will be forced to comply to do business in Europe.

Consumer Watchdog Asks Senate Antitrust Committee To Require Google CEO Larry Page to Testify

John M. Simpson

Group Cites DOJ Investigation That Found He Condoned Illegal Activity

SANTA MONICA, CA – Citing recent revelations that Google CEO Larry Page condoned Google’s criminal violation of laws prohibiting the importation of drugs to U.S. consumers by Canadian pharmacies, Consumer Watchdog called on the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee to require him to testify at its planned hearing in September.

Prosecutor says Larry Page knew Google was breaking the law

John M. Simpson

It became clear over the weekend why Google agreed to a whopping $500 million settlement with the Justice Department to end criminal charges that it aided in the sale of illegal drugs from Canada. Co-founder and CEO Larry Page knew that the Internet giant was breaking the law.

Consumer Watchdog Says Online Ad Industry Self-Regulation Fails to Protect Privacy; Calls for Congress to Enact Do Not Track Me Law

Carmen Balber

WASHINGTON, DC — Consumer Watchdog said that the self-regulatory privacy program created by online advertisers and scheduled to take effect for some today fails to protect consumers from companies that track their behavior online. Legislation enacting a “Do Not Track Me” option is necessary to ensure consumers have an easy to use, effective and universal choice to avoid tracking, said Consumer Watchdog.

Experts Positive on Facebook’s New Privacy Controls

Juan Carlos Perez

Privacy advocates and security experts have given Facebook a preliminary thumbs-up on the upcoming changes designed to improve privacy controls on its site.

Google Shells Out $500M to DoJ Over Shady Drug Ads

Erika Morphy

Google has agreed to a US$500 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice for allowing online Canadian pharmacies to place ads through its AdWords program targeting consumers in the United States.