News Clipping
The do not track concept is supported across all demographic lines — including political persuasions. According to Consumer Watchdog, 86 percent of Americans want a “Do Not Track” button created. In addition, 70 percent of Facebook members and 52 percent of Google users say they are either “somewhat” or “very concerned about their privacy, according to a recent a recent USA Today poll.
Blog Post
Consumer Watchdog’s John M. Simpson testified at a hearing yesterday on federal agency use of Web 2.0 technology, but the hearing got off to a rocky start when Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC) opted for a procedural gimmick and even introduced a motion to adjourn the hearing before the witnesses were able to testify.
Blog Post
Google’s plans to create a social media service are taking shape with word that the search giant has invested more than $100 million in Zynga, maker of popular online games available on Facebook
Blog Post
I was in Washington, DC, last week to attend EPIC’s Champion of Freedom Awards Dinner. One honoree in particular prompted the cross-country trip: The Rose Foundation and how it stood up to Internet giant Google.
Blog Post
In the latest revelation in a seemingly never ending stream of privacy breaches by online companies, we now know that Facebook and MySpace have been sending consumers’ personal information to advertisers despite promises that they don’t share such data without consent.
Press Release
Consumer Watchdog today formally launched its new Website, Inside Google, to focus attention on the company’s activities and hold Google accountable for its actions. The sites’ URL is http://insidegoogle.com.
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Every month, Simpson comes to Washington to meet with staff on the Hill and regulatory agencies, journalists and corporate lobbyists. Simpson said he met last week with Jim Tierney, chief of the networks and technology section of the antitrust division of the Justice Department, and staffers about his petition for a broad investigation. Last year, he testified before Congress about privacy and competition concerns in Google’s book settlement.
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John Simpson, an official with Consumer Watchdog, was displeased with the incident. “Once again we see what happens when companies push the technological envelope with little concern for consumers’ privacy rights,” he said via e-mail.
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“The problem is that Silicon Valley companies rush to get technology out and they just do things and ask for forgiveness later,” said John Simpson, who works on privacy issues for Consumer Watchdog. “But too much is at stake.”
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Privacy advocates argue that the bill’s exemption for “operational” collection of data–allowing those practices to take place under an “opt-out” rule–gives advertisers far too much leeway. “This bill really adopts an archaic and bankrupt ‘notice and consent’ regime that we all know doesn’t’ work,” says John Simpson, head of the Google Privacy and Accountability project at Consumer Watchdog.
