Inside Google

SANTA MONICA, CA  — Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee in September the committee said today. The announcement comes after an intensive campaign by Consumer Watchdog to require Schmidt’s sworn testimony before Congress that included two widely viewed satirical videos.

Watch the satirical video “Mr Schmidt goes to Washington,” which debuted last January in Washington on a mobile digital billboard, here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/video/mr-schmidt-goes-washington

Watch the first video, “Don’t Be Evil?” launched on a Times Square digital billboard, here:
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/video/google-dont-be-evil

“A top Google executive will finally face serious questioning about the company’s behavior,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project. “Schmidt was CEO for the past decade, so it’s appropriate he be called.  Now that Larry Page has taken over that position, he should also be held accountable and be required to testify as well. Given Google’s inconsistencies between actions and statements in the past, we trust Schmidt’s testimony will be given under oath.”

The nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group first called for Schmidt to appear to explain the Internet giant’s Wi-Spy scandal in which its Street View cars gathered information from private Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.  Consumer Watchdog has also pushed for a full-blown antitrust investigation of Google, which the Federal Trade Commission recently launched.

Consumer Watchdog has been calling for Schmidt’s sworn testimony before Congress for over a year. The two popular online satirical animated videos making the case for his testimony  have received more than half a million views.

Last month when Schmidt and Page declined to testify and Google offered Chief Counsel David Drummond, Consumer Watchdog said the full Senate Judiciary Committee should subpoena the two top executives.

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Consumer Watchdog is a non-partisan public interest organization with offices in Santa Monica, CA and Washington, D.C.  For more information, visit us on the web at http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org