Inside Google

Calls on Federal Trade Commission To Protect U.S. Consumers

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today praised the European data commissioners for rebuking Google’s unilateral merging of privacy policies and data across its various product lines and called on the Federal Trade Commission to act to protect U.S. consumers.

News broke over the weekend that Federal Trade Commission staff is calling for the Commission to bring an antitrust case against Google for abusing its dominance in search, an action Consumer Watchdog first called for more than two years ago.

One of the things you hear when companies try to minimize the impact of privacy violations is an attempt to claim there was no financial harm to consumers. However, in an interesting development the Federal Trade Commission is now publicly estimating that Google’s hack around Apple’s Safari browser privacy settings earned the Internet giant up to $ 4 million.

Says Control of New Strings Could Threaten Free Internet SANTA MONICA, CA  – Consumer Watchdog has called on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to reject applications from Google and Amazon to buy control of huge swaths of the Internet by purchasing new generic Top Level Domains. In an open letter to [...]

SANTA MONICA, CA – The driverless car law signed today by Gov. Jerry Brown at a ceremony at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View poses threats to Californians’ safety and privacy, Consumer Watchdog said.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed $22.5 million settlement with Google for hacking past privacy settings on Apple’s Safari browser fails to include a permanent injunction against violating its “Buzz” Consent Decree with the Commission, one of three reasons it be should be rejected, Consumer Watchdog said today.

Control of New Strings Could Threaten Free Internet

WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today urged Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D –W.VA) to block attempts by Google and Amazon to buy control of huge swaths of the Internet by purchasing new generic Top Level Domains through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Public Interest Group Terms Privacy Protections For New Technology Insufficient

SANTA MONICA, CA – California Gov. Jerry Brown should veto a bill that allows Google’s driverless cars on the highway because it does not provide adequate privacy protections for users of the new technology, Consumer Watchdog said today.

Consumer Watchdog has long been critical of the way Google has had easy access to the corridors of power in the Obama Administration. Now there is clear sign that the Internet giant has lost its luster with the President.

SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. District Court Judge has granted Consumer Watchdog the right to oppose Google’s record $22.5 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission because it allows the Internet giant to deny any wrongdoing.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Citing deceptive and confusing advertising by mobile phone companies concerning data speeds, Consumer Watchdog today petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to require wireless carriers to disclose actual network data speeds.

Cites Need For Google to Accept Responsibility For Wrongdoing

SAN FRANCISCO – Consumer Watchdog has filed a motion in U.S. District Court asking that it be allowed to oppose the $22.5 million settlement the Federal Trade Commission has reached with Google because the agreement allows the Internet giant to deny any wrongdoing.

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called on federal antitrust regulators to block Google’s purchase of Frommer’s travel guides. “There is a fundamental conflict between being a search provider and a content provider,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project Director. “As Google has increased its content and services, it has unfairly favored them in its search results and damaged competitors.”