Tag Archive | "security"
Consumer Watchdog Says Online Ad Industry Self-Regulation Fails to Protect Privacy; Calls for Congress to Enact Do Not Track Me Law
WASHINGTON, DC -- Consumer Watchdog said that the self-regulatory privacy program created by online advertisers and scheduled to take effect for some today fails to protect consumers from companies that track their behavior online. Legislation enacting a “Do Not Track Me” option is necessary to ensure consumers have an easy to use, effective and universal choice to avoid tracking, said Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...Does Google-Motorola Pose Anti-Competitive Danger?
Monday, August 15, 2011
What if Google, the master of the cloud computing universe and the Internet's information monopolist, were to buy Intel, Apple, or IBM? Would we want the company that controls information outside of our computers all along the Internet to also have control over a principal computer hardware maker and its patents?
Continue reading...Is Google adding a default security setting?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
One of the dangers of using public Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops and the like is that anybody else on the network can read your email, Facebook postings, search requests and easily hack into your account unless the data is encrypted. The most common is SSL encryption using the HTTPS protocol. If you use it, […]
Continue reading...Web Tracking Has Become A Privacy Time Bomb
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Google has been widely known to scan the contents of Gmail messages to deliver targeted text ads. While some don't mind, others believe scanning e-mail to deliver more relevant ads is an invasion of privacy. John Simpson, spokesman for the non-profit advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, isn't convinced the search giant will necessarily stop there. "Part of the problem is that Google collects and stores tremendous amounts of data about its users," Simpson says. "The only assurance we have about what Google's intentions are boils down to 'Trust us.'"
Continue reading...Google And Facebook Spent Record Amounts On Lobbying In Q2 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
It’s no secret that former CEO and current Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has been spending more time in the Beltway, helping with government relations. In fact, Schmidt is actually going to testify before the Senate on possible Google antitrust issues. Because of his increased presence in D.C., public interest organization Consumer Watchdog is actually calling for Schmidt’s activities in Washington D.C. to be scrutinized to see if he needs to register formally as a lobbyist.
Continue reading...The Cost of Lost Privacy: How Google and Datamining Drive Economic Inequality in Our Nation
Friday, July 15, 2011
Why has economic inequality increased so radically in the United States over the last generation? General explanations range from globalization to the decline in trade unions to rising returns to education — and therefore the loss of income to the less educated. These all no doubt play a role but in an age of information, […]
Continue reading...Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt to Testify Before Congress on Wi-Spy Scandal
Monday, July 11, 2011
John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project commented on the news, "A top Google executive will finally face serious questioning about the company's behavior."
Continue reading...Google And The White House Too Chummy While Firm Under Investigation, Consumer Group Says
Friday, July 8, 2011
A leading California consumer group has formally asked White House counsel to rule on the ethics of what it calls the Obama Administration's "inappropriate" outreach -- including State Dinner invites -- to head honchos of Google, a firm reportedly under criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Continue reading...U.S. Lawmakers Frustrated By Lack Of Answers About Google Street View Wi-spying
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
In January, Consumer Watchdog released a report that detailed the range of the federal government’s current contracts with Google. The amount of cash the group found is only $40 million, a tiny amount compared to Google’s annual revenue of almost $30 billion. But the contracts give the company a competitive edge in key emerging markets, as well as highlight the deepening relationship between Google and the Obama administration — and the conflicts of interest that could potentially arise.
Continue reading...Tech’s Star CEOs Could Be Drag On Obama
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Jamie Court, who heads Consumer Watchdog, said it's clear the Silicon Valley's tech executives have cultivated a "hoodie and Converse" profile to mask what he says is a traditional corporate adherence to bottom-line profit concerns.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
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