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Consumer Watchdog Tells Google To Prove New Privacy Commitment — Changing Wi-Spy Story Makes It Difficult To Believe Measures Are Serious
SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog welcomed three new steps Google said it is implementing to protect consumers’ privacy in response to the Wi-Spying scandal, but challenged the Internet giant to prove the measures are more than a public relations ploy.
Continue reading...Google’s PAC joins Republican bandwagon
22. October 2010
In a move that’s either deeply pragmatic or deeply cynical, Silicon Valley’s most openly pro-Democratic company shifted course this fall and gave more than half its political action committee donations to Republicans. Google Inc. NetPAC gave Republicans $57,500 between July and October, the group’s filing this week with the Federal Election Committee shows. That’s 55% of the $105,000 total contributions; Democrats received $47,500 or 45%.
Continue reading...Google Spends More Lobbying Congress
21. October 2010
For the first nine months of 2010, Google spent $3.92 million, approaching the $4.03 million the search giant spent wooing federal officials in all of 2009, Senate disclosure records show. “Google has a group of well-connected lobbyists and is willing to spend freely to influence federal lawmakers and regulators,” says John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Inside Google Project. “They appear to be on track to spend a total of $5 million to peddle influence this year.”
Continue reading...Google cuts billions from its taxes through complex overseas tax dodges
21. October 2010
Google Inc. has dodged $3.1 billion in taxes in the last three years, reports Jesse Drucker of Bloomberg, giving new meaning to CEO Eric Schmidt’s recent comment to analysts: “We love cash.” The question now is how much longer Goolge can continue to draw on its positive image as the “Don’t-Be-Evil” company.
Continue reading...Google increases spending on lobbying to $1.2 million
21. October 2010
SANTA MONICA, CA — Google increased its spending on lobbying 11 percent over the previous year to $1.2 million in the third quarter demonstrating the Internet giant’s willingness to spend to shape federal policy, Consumer Watchdog said today. In the comparable quarter a year ago Google spent $1.08 million. A key to Google’s lobbying effort is its well-connected Washington staff, the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group said.
Continue reading...Google Called Chicken for Dodging Privacy Debate
30. September 2010
The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog is broadcasting Jumbotron video ads all this week in the heart of New York’s Times Square to mock Google as a big chicken for dodging a privacy debate.
Continue reading...New Times Square ad targets Google for failure to debate privacy
29. September 2010
SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog has placed a digital advertisement in Times Square calling Internet giant Google “chicken” for its failure to accept the public interest group’s challenge to debate measures to protect consumers’ online privacy. The ad is running during “AdWeek” in New York City, at which Google has a major presence.
Continue reading...Google solidifies link with Pentagon ‘combat support’ agency
28. September 2010
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) announced today that it intends to award Google a $27 million sole source contract for visualization technology, the largest known contract between the Internet firm and a national security agency.
Continue reading...As governments tap user data, Google transparency lags
22. September 2010
Amidst a surge in governmental requests for private user data, Google’s openness effort is lagging, as the release of Google’s second transparency report shows. The report, released Tuesday, is a welcome sign of the search engine’s commitment to openness, but it is not a big improvement over the initial report last April.
Continue reading...Dear Google: Do Not Track Me
17. September 2010
“That’s kind of a fundamental human right,” argued John Simpson, an advocate with Consumer Watchdog. “The books that people have been taking out of the library are not something that’s shared, and librarians have fought to maintain that. Generally, you can’t go in and say, ‘What’s my wife been reading on her library card? What’s my son been reading on our library card?’ It’s private. In the same way, the Internet is a great source of information, and people ought to be able to consider that their activity online is private in the same way. The fact of the matter is that it’s not right now.”
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22. October 2010