Tag Archive | "executives"
Consumer Watchdog Tells Justice Any Google Deal Must Include Means Of Enforcement
WASHINGTON, DC -- Any plan offered by Google meant to overcome objections to the proposed Google Books settlement must include a “binding agreement with the full force of law,” Consumer Watchdog told the U.S. Justice Department today. Justice has until Friday to file its position on the books settlement with the court.
Continue reading...FTC to Apple, Google Boards: We’re Watching
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission says it will keep investigating the board memberships of Apple and Google despite Google CEO Eric Schmidt's withdrawal from Apple's board. Another boardroom interlock remains for the two companies: Genentech Chairman Arthur Levinson is on the board in both Mountain View and Cupertino. An E-Commerce Times request for response from Genentech regarding Consumer Watchdog's call for Levinson to step down from either Google's or Apple's board was not received by press time. One point mentioned by Consumer Watchdog's Simpson was Genetech's investment in 23andMe, the genetic-testing-for-consumers company founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin.
Continue reading...Google Makes a Case That It Isn’t So Big
Monday, June 29, 2009
Eyes are rolling, especially in reaction to the idea that Google is a relatively small player in a giant market. “They describe where they are in a market under a kind of a fairy-tale spun gloss that doesn’t reflect their dominance of key sectors,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google search is an absolute must-have for every marketer in the world.”
Continue reading...Google Polishes Competition Charm Offensive
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Google continued to lay the groundwork Wednesday for an antitrust defense in the event that the federal government decides to take a formal look at its core business. Inside a conference room in Google's San Francisco office, executives ran through essentially the same presentation leaked last month by the consumer activist group Consumer Watchdog, focusing most of their efforts on trying to paint a picture of Google as just one part of a large Internet ecosystem, as opposed to a dominant search giant.
Continue reading...Consumer Groups Challenge Obama’s Appointment Of Google Executive
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Two consumer groups are seeking to throw a roadblock in front of President Obama's pending appointment of Google's top global public policy official, arguing that it would violate Obama's ethics rules aimed at eliminating the influence of lobbyists on the federal government. John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, said McLaughlin is good at what he does – "lobbying around the world for Google's interests," he said. "That's not what this job requires. It should not go to any person whose most recent position has been advocating policy for a technology company," he said.
Continue reading...Growing White House Ties To Google Draw Protest
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Consumer Groups Object To Expected Selection Of Google Exec To Deputy CTO Post Andrew McLaughlin, Google's director of global public policy, is expected to be appointed U.S. deputy chief technology officer, reporting to federal CTO Aneesh Chopra. Both are new White House positions. Two groups, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog, yesterday urged Obama not to appoint McLaughlin to the post. In a letter signed by Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy and and John Simpson, consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, the groups said that McLaughlin "has been a lobbyist for the biggest digital marketing company in the world, and we believe no special-interest connected person should assume a position of vital importance to the country's future."
Continue reading...Google, Intel, Others Face Resurgence in Antitrust Interest, Actions
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
As Google’s gadfly, Consumer Watchdog has noted that the company developed a presentation trying to argue that antitrust concerns are unreasonable and unwarranted. Unfortunately for Google, there are times that PR can do wonders, and times when it can’t. One time it can’t is when the PR campaign is full of holes, including the following...
Continue reading...Making it easy for Google
Friday, May 8, 2009
You'd think with the communications resources that Google has at its disposal, the Internet giant's executives would be able to answer direct questions. An exchange of letters over the last few weeks shows otherwise.
Continue reading...Federal Report Shines Light On Google’s EMR Lobbying Effforts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
According to first quarter federal reports, Google participated in lobbying efforts aimed at allowing the sale of electronic medical records in the economic stimulus legislation. This contradicts the Internet giant's earlier response to Consumer Watchdog, a California-based, non-profit consumer education and advocacy organization, that their claims against Google were "100 percent false."
Continue reading...Academics, Citing Public Interest, Plan To Intervene in Google Book Search Settlement
Monday, April 6, 2009
While much mainstream news coverage of the pending Google Book Search settlement has focused on the potential boon to researchers, concerns raised by librarians and consumers have begun to hit critical mass. One sign was a front-page article in the April 4 New York Times, headlined Google’s Plan for Out-of-Print Books Is Challenged, which noted that two sets of academics plan to intervene in the settlement. Consumer Watchdog, a public interest group in Southern California, also has asked the Justice Department to intervene in the case to “serve the public interest,” Helft noted.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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