Tag Archive | "acquisitions"
Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Praises European Action on Google’s New Privacy Policy, Calls For FTC To Determine If Proposed Changes Violate Consent Agreement
CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041; or cell: 310-292-1902
SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today praised European data protection authorities for asking Google to delay implementation of its new privacy and data policies and said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission should determine whether the new policies violate the terms of Google’s consent agreement with the commission.
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One Privacy Policy To Rule Them All: What Google’s Controversial New Terms of Service Could Mean To You
By Christian Blauvelt , ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY POPWATCH BLOG
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson points out that personalized advertisements targeted directly to a specific user, based on user-collected information, can be “a substantial amount” more lucrative than just an anonymous ad. And with all the information Google can collect about your interests from your searches, your Google Docs, and your favorite YouTube videos, they can figure out pretty specifically what ads they should show you. “They are positioning this as streamlining privacy,” Simpson says. “But that’s just PR. It’s all about better targeting for advertisers.”
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Privacy Advocates Fiercely Furrow Brows at Google
By Richard Adhikari , TECHNEWSWORLD.COM
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The announcement of the changes sparked concern among privacy watchdogs both in the United States and the European Union. "Consumers' online privacy is being eroded," growled John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog.
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Google Tops as ‘Lord of the Lobbying’ with $10 Million in 2011
By Surojit Chatterjee , INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"They've decided to play the corrupt corporate cash and carry Washington (game) like many firms such as Microsoft have long done," John Simpson, a consumer advocate for Consumer Watchdog, told CNET. "What sets them apart, though, is they still hold themselves out to be different from the rest."
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Spending Plus Online Clout Put Google In Lobbying Class of Its Own
By Josh Smith , NATIONAL JOURNAL - NEXTGOV
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Google's spending caught the eye of its critics. The group Consumer Watchdog, which consistently targets Google, accused the company's executives of having "no qualms about spending lots of money to get their way."
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Consumers Oppose Google-Motorola Mobile Merger
By Staff Writers , EUROPOLITICS
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
An American consumer advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog, wrote to Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, on 24 January, to ask him to ban Google's proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobile (see separate article). "Google controls 95% of the mobile search market.
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Consumer Watchdog Asks Senator Kohl To Recall Google’s Schmidt As Witness
By Staff Writers , TECH PROGRESS BLOG
Friday, October 7, 2011
Noting (as I did on Monday) that Schmidt had basically recanted his contrite testimony before Congress in basically calling the government slow and stupid in a Washington Post interview, Consumer Watchdog said in a letter to Senate chairman Herb Kohl that Schmidt should be recalled to testify by the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee...
Continue reading...Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Urges Senator Kohl To Recall Google’s Schmidt As Witness After Executive Calls Government Slow And Stupid In Interview
CONTACT: Jamie Court , 310-392-0075; John M. Simpson, 310-392-7041; Carmen Balber, 202-629-3043
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Washington, DC – Consumer Watchdog today took Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt to task today over remarks made to The Washington Post in which he claimed Google should not be the subject of antitrust review because its services are "free" and made derogatory remarks about government officials being slow, backward and greedy.
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Consumer Watchdog Asks Senate Panel To Explore Breakup of Google; Asks FTC to Open Inquiry Into Deceptive Mortgage Advertisements
CONTACT: Carmen Balber , 310-403-0284 (cell) or 202-629-3043; John M. Simpson, 310-292-1902 (cell); Jamie Court, 310-392-0522 x327
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today told a Senate committee that Google’s reach is so pervasive on the Internet that consumers cannot avoid its massive data collection apparatus. The public interest group said one possible remedy is breaking up the Internet giant, which exercises monopoly power over search and consumer data. Do Not Track regulations are necessary to protect consumers from the Internet giant’s pervasive data collection.
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Consumer Watchdog Channeling Marcel Marceau
By Juliana Gruenwald , NATIONAL JOURNAL - TECH DAILY DOSE
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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..
Continue reading...Blog Post
Google’s Monopoly Power Raises More Concerns
Posted by John M. Simpson
Friday, September 9, 2011
More examples of Google’s powerful grip on the Internet surfaced this week and its acquisition of the venerable restaurant reviewer, Zagat, raised new concern about how the Internet giant will use its monopoly power in the future. Being a monopoly is not in itself illegal. If you developed the position naturally without breaking any laws, [...]
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Does Google Want to Own or Organize Information?
By Jay Greene , CNET.COM
Thursday, September 8, 2011
"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."
Continue reading...Blog Post
Does Google-Motorola Pose Anti-Competitive Danger?
Posted by Jamie Court
Monday, August 15, 2011
What if Google, the master of the cloud computing universe and the Internet's information monopolist, were to buy Intel, Apple, or IBM? Would we want the company that controls information outside of our computers all along the Internet to also have control over a principal computer hardware maker and its patents?
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Video Player
Consumer Watchdog’s Carmen Balber discusses Internet privacy and the need for an online “Do Not Track Me” list.
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Friday, February 3, 2012
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