Tag Archive | "litigation"
Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Calls For Senate Hearing on Google Wi-Spy Scandal
CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-0522, x317
Urges ‘Engineer Doe’ Be Given Immunity For Testifying About His Role SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called for a Senate hearing into the Google Wi-Spy scandal and urged that a key figure known in a Federal Communications Commission report as “Engineer Doe” be granted immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony.
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Sergey Brin Pounds Fists Against Walled Gardens
By Richard Adhikari , TECHNEWSWORLD.COM
Monday, April 16, 2012
"Whenever Google raises the cry of defending Internet freedom, it's always really about what's best for Google's business model," John Simpson, consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, told TechNewsWorld.
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Reding: Google Privacy Policy Is Illegal
By Clint Boulton , eWEEK.COM
Monday, March 5, 2012
California-based Google critic Consumer Watchdog called Google’s sweeping changes a “spy policy” rather than a privacy policy, an allusion to the fact that the move will help Google funnel data on users in one larger silo for targeted ads.
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Consumer Group Files FTC Complaint Against Google
By Elinor Mills , CNET.COM
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The complaint -- similar to complaints brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the World Privacy Forum and Consumer Watchdog -- alleges that Google is misleading users about the "real reasons" for the privacy policy change, which are due to take effect March 1. In addition, the planned policy changes violate the FTC-Google consent decree by failing to get user consent before sharing information.
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Google Caught With Hand In Safari’s Cookie Jar
By Richard Adhikari , TECHNEWSWORLD.COM
Friday, February 17, 2012
Google is among a handful of companies that used a certain unusual characteristic of Apple's Safari Web browser to insert tracking cookies on users' machines, according to recent research from a Stanford grad student. The news has outraged consumer advocacy groups, though Google claims it was using known Safari functionality to provide features that signed in Google users had enabled.
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Google Violated IPhone Users’ Privacy, Stanford Study Finds
By Heather Perlberg , BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK
Friday, February 17, 2012
Google’s actions also prompted Consumer Watchdog to send a letter to the FTC and demand action against Google. “Safari users with the browser set to block third-party cookies thought they were not being tracked,” John Simpson, privacy project director of Consumer Watchdog, said in the letter. “Nonetheless, because of an element invisible to the user, but designed to mimic a form, DoubleClick was able to set tracking cookies in an obvious violation of the set preference.”
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Google Caught Tracking Apple Users
By Brendan Sasso , THEHILL.COM - HILLICON VALLEY BLOG
Friday, February 17, 2012
Consumer Watchdog, a frequent Google critic, accused the company of lying and urged the Federal Trade Commission to take "immediate action" to crack down on the "unfair and deceptive trade practices."
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Google’s Cookie Trick in Safari Stirs Debate
By Brian X. Chen , THE NEW YORK TIMES BITS BLOG
Friday, February 17, 2012
The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Google violated a previous agreement with the agency, which required Google to be up front about privacy matters. It says Google manipulated Safari users into believing they could permanently opt out of targeted advertising, when in reality they couldn’t.
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Google Hit With FTC Complaint, Says Circumventing Safari Privacy Features Accidental
By Jon Brodkin , ARS TECHNICA
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Consumer Watchdog advocacy group today asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Google violated a previous privacy agreement with the FTC by tracking cookies in a way that circumvents default privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser.
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Google’s Tracking of Safari Users Could Lead to FTC Investigation
By Grant Gross , IDG NEWS SERVICE (PCWORLD.COM)
Friday, February 17, 2012
Google's alleged circumvention of do-not-track controls on Apple's Safari browser could lead to big fines from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission if the agency. Consumer Watchdog, a privacy advocate that has been critical of Google, called on the FTC to investigate the company for unfair and deceptive business practices.
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Stanford Study Finds Google Violated Privacy Choices, iPhone and iPads Targeted
CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041; or cell: 310-292-1902
Friday, February 17, 2012
Consumer Watchdog Says Internet Giant Lied To Users, Calls For FTC Action SANTA MONICA, CA – In the wake of a Stanford University researcher’s study that found Google has been violating people’s online privacy choices, Consumer Watchdog said today the Internet giant was lying to users and called for the Federal Trade Commission to act. iPhone and iPad users were targeted.
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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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Facebook Critics Hope IPO Forces Some Hard Questions
By Niraj Chokshi , NATIONAL JOURNAL
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
"It's hard to predict exactly what sort of gaffe they’ll do next, but it would not surprise me if there is yet another one," said John Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, noting some concerns over Facebook’s recent expansion of its Timeline feature, which makes it easier to visualize, share, and view users’ profile history.
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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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Monday, April 30, 2012
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