Tag Archive | "funding"
News Clipping
When Analysts Look Over Their Shoulders
By Brian Deagon , INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
"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.
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Google Games in the future?
Posted by Margot Williams
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...Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Launches Inside Google Website To Focus Light on Internet Giant
CONTACT: John M. Simpson , (310) 392-0522, ext 317; or cell: (310) 292-1902
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.
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April Fool! Parodies on Google or is the joke on us?
Posted by Margot Williams
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 [...]
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Will Google’s PowerMeter give power to the people or spy on them?
Posted by Margot Williams
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?
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When Does Oversight Overstep?
By Jef Akst THE SCIENTIST MAGAZINE
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."
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Google Offers Users A Peek At Stored Data
By Miguel Helft BITS - NYTIMES TECH BLOG
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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Will City of L.A. jump into Google’s cloud?
Posted by Jamie Court
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I spent all afternoon Monday waiting at the LA City Council Budget Committee to give the Council members my two minutes on why Google's proposal to put the City's computing into its cloud could be dangerous. In a nutshell: Security,...
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DOJ: Court Should Reject Google Book Search Settlement
By Juan Carlos Perez COMPUTERWORLD
Friday, September 18, 2009
The U.S. Department of Justice has come out against the proposed agreement to settle copyright lawsuits that authors and major publishers filed against Google over the search company's book search program. Consumer Watchdog, a consumer protection organization that earlier this year urged the DOJ to get involved, filed a 30-page document opposing the agreement, saying it will "strip rights from millions of absent class members, worldwide, in violation of national and international copyright law, for the sole benefit of Google. There should be a competitive book-search market, while the U.S. Congress must solve the orphan works problem. The parties simply cannot justify this 'solution' which does not adequately protect the Rightsholders and unfairly benefits a single party," reads the Consumer Watchdog statement.
Continue reading...Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Tells Justice Any Google Deal Must Include Means Of Enforcement
CONTACT: John M. Simpson 310-292-1902 or Carmen Balber 202-629-3043
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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.
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FTC to Apple, Google Boards: We’re Watching
By Renay San Miguel E-COMMERCE TIMES
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.
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DOJ Officially Opens Investigation Into Google Book Search
By Nancy Gohring PC WORLD
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on Thursday that it is investigating a settlement involving Google Book Search for possible antitrust violations, following months of speculation that the agency had its eye on the service. Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group, argues that the proposal gives Google special protections against lawsuits over the orphan works. Those special protections would discourage potential Google competitors from entering the digital book business unless they could negotiate a similar protection, the group argues. Consumer Watchdog has urged the DOJ to examine the settlement.
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Reports: DOJ Turns Up The Heat On Google’s Book Deal
By Juan Carlos Perez PC WORLD
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped up its review of a deal that would settle a lawsuit publishers and authors filed against Google over the latter's book search engine, according to published reports. Consumer Watchdog has charged that the proposed settlement gives Google special protections against lawsuits over orphan works.
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Consumer Watchdog’s Carmen Balber discusses Internet privacy and the need for an online “Do Not Track Me” list.
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Thursday, December 23, 2010
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