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Consumer Watchdog Warns DMV Not To Let Google Rush Driverless Car Deployment
SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today warned the California Department of Motor Vehicles not to succumb to pressure from Google and others with a vested interest in developing “driverless cars” to rush to adopt regulations for the pubic use of the vehicles that are inadequate to protect our safety.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Praises EU’s “Right To Be Forgotten” Ruling As Privacy Victory
13. May 2014
SANTA MONICA, — Consumer Watchdog today praised the highest European court’s ruling that people have a “right to be forgotten” and can have online search results linking to outdated, irrelevant information removed.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Asks NY Joint Commission On Public Ethics To Remove Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt From State’s Smart Schools Commission For Conflict of Interest
12. May 2014
SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today filed a formal complaint asking the New York Joint Commission On Public Ethics to remove Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt from the state’s Smart Schools Commission because of conflicts of interest that violate the state’s Public Officials Law.
Continue reading...Glassholes Meet Up At West Hollywood Bar
5. May 2014
Google’s privacy invading wearable computing device, Glass, has been taking a lot of well deserved hits lately, and the Internet giant seems to have launched a PR campaign to bolster the device’s plummeting image. Over the weekend Google sponsored “Glass Night Out” at various locations across the country.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Backs 6 Policy Recommendations In White House Big Data Report
1. May 2014
SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog today backed six broad policy recommendations outlined in the White House report on Big Data and praised the report for identifying potential dangers of discrimination and threats to privacy in what the report called “a world where data collection will be increasingly ubiquitous, multidimensional, and permanent.”
Continue reading...Google Stops Reading Students’ Gmail After Legal Questions Are Raised
30. April 2014
SANTA MONICA, CA — Google said it will stop reading the Gmail accounts of 30 million students who use Google Apps For Education, spinning the announcement as “protecting students,” when in fact the change came only after questions were raised about the legality of the practice, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Calls On Gov. Cuomo to Remove Google Chairman Eric Schmidt From NY Smart Schools Panel And Block Company From Providing Tech To Schools
28. April 2014
SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog, a national public interest group, today expressed deep concern about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s appointment of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt to the New York Smart Schools Commission to advise the state on how to invest proceeds from the proposed $2 billion bond act and bring technology into classrooms statewide.
Continue reading...Tech Titans’ Dirty Linen Won’t Be Aired Further
24. April 2014
A settlement has been reached in the $3 billion class action lawsuit on behalf of 64,000 high tech workers who charged that Silicon Valley tech titans like Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt and Sergey Brin illegally conspired to keep their wages down.
Continue reading...Google Spent $3.82 Million Lobbying In First Quarter As Internet Giant Is Top Spender Among 15 Tech, Telecommunication Firms; Comcast Spends $3.09 Million On Influence
23. April 2014
WASHINGTON, DC – Google spent $3.82 million lobbying federal lawmakers and regulators during the first quarter of 2014, making it the top spender among 15 top technology and telecommunications companies, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosure forms Consumer Watchdog said today.
Continue reading...Proposed European Antitrust Settlement Allows Google To Ignore Requests From Monitor, Consumer Watchdog Says
26. March 2014
SANTA MONICA, CA – A proposed settlement in Europe’s antitrust investigation of Google that establishes a monitor for five years to ensure that the Internet giant keeps its promises under the deal, does not actually obligate Google to do anything in response to a request from the “Monitoring Trustee,” Consumer Watchdog said today and called for the “deeply flawed” proposed settlement to be modified.
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10. June 2014