Tag Archive | "funding"
Google and Facebook Lobbying Expenditures Soar to Records; Consumer Watchdog Asks If Eric Schmidt Should Register As A Lobbyist
SANTA MONICA, CA -- Google and Facebook pumped record amounts into their lobbying efforts during the second quarter, according to just filed disclosure reports. Google's spending soared to $2.06 million, a 54 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Facebook spent $320,000 -- nearly as much as its total lobbying expenses for all of last year.
Continue reading...Google and Facebook Splurge on Lobbying in Q2
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Some of the issues Google focused on include competition in online advertising, online privacy and security, free trade, censorship, the H.R. 399 bill and trademark issues. Google’s presence in the U.S. government is spurring some policy watchers, like Consumer Watchdog to call for Eric Schmidt to register as a lobbyist. “Schmidt could well have reached the threshold requiring registration as a lobbyist; he is clearly trying to influence policy,” said John M. Simpson, Director of the nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group’s Privacy Project. “It certainly should be checked out.”
Continue reading...Mr. Schmidt Goes To Washington: Google Lobbying Hits New High
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Google’s increasing influence in Washington is setting off alarm bells for some policy watchers. California-based public interest group Consumer Watchdog is calling for Google chairman Eric Schmidt to register formally as a lobbyist, since he personally is spending increasing amounts of time working in government relations. “Schmidt could well have reached the threshold requiring registration as a lobbyist; he is clearly trying to influence policy,” said Consumer Watchdog director John Simpson in a press release issued Thursday. “It certainly should be checked out.”
Continue reading...When Analysts Look Over Their Shoulders
Thursday, December 23, 2010
"We're interested in the monopolistic power that Google has, how they are using it and whether it has disadvantaged consumers," said John Simpson, a director at Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...Google Games in the future?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Launches Inside Google Website To Focus Light on Internet Giant
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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.
Continue reading...April Fool! Parodies on Google or is the joke on us?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Google’s April Fool joke this year – renaming its search site “Topeka” – was a self-congratulatory disappointment compared with some of the funny self-parodies of previous years, for instance, here or here. The mayor of Topeka in March announced a month-long renaming of Kansas’ capital city to “Google, KS” as part of the city’s bid […]
Continue reading...Will Google’s PowerMeter give power to the people or spy on them?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sometime soon, my refrigerator could be spying on my late night ice cream binges. Right now it’s just a large frost-free appliance that doesn’t talk back. But when it starts to network on the Smart Grid via a meter and Google’s PowerMeter application, will Google be analyzing my high-cholesterol snacks?
Continue reading...When Does Oversight Overstep?
Monday, November 16, 2009
There are mixed reviews among the scientific community about whether CIRM's close watch of their grantees is a good thing. To some, it is an important practice for public funding agencies such as CIRM to show the tax payers that their money is going towards productive and fruitful research. "I think the oversight is outstanding," said John Simpson, the stem cell project director at the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog in California. "It shows that they're not asleep at the switch. CIRM is functioning as both a grant making agency [and] also something of a steward of the funds it hands out."
Continue reading...Google Offers Users A Peek At Stored Data
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Google, which has been criticized frequently for amassing large amounts of data about people, is giving users an easy way to find out what information it stores in their accounts. John Simpson, of Consumer Watchdog, a frequent critic of Google, said Dashboard gave users the appearance of control over privacy but did not really prevent Google from tracking users across the Web. “What the Dashboard does is list all the information linked directly to your name, but what it doesn’t do is let you know and control the data directly tied to your computer’s IP address, which is Google’s black box and data mine, Mr. Simpson said in a press release. “Google isn’t truly protecting privacy until it lets you control that information.”
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Thursday, July 21, 2011
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