Blog Post
Part of Google’s appeal has been the way its executives have been able to portray the Internet giant as not a typical corporateering behemoth simply focused on fattening the bottom line. I’ve argued that despite the self-serving attempt to portray their company as something different, Google is in fact like the rest. Google executives’ acts and words this week show I’m right.
Press Release
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.
Blog Post
Lobbying expenditure reports are due to be filed with the the Senate Office of Public Records Wednesday and you can expect record expenditures from both Facebook and Google.
Press Release
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.
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC — Consumer Watchdog has asked the White House Counsel to rule that President Obama and other members of the Administration must distance themselves from Google while the company is the target of serious federal investigations, including a criminal probe into allegations the search giant profited from selling online ads to illegal pharmacies.
Blog Post
Since April when Bloomberg News reported that the Federal Trade Commission was contemplating a full-blown antitrust investigation of Google, people who follow the Internet giant have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. It did on Thursday with the report in the Wall Street Journal that the five-member Commission is about to serve Google with civil subpoenas — known as Civil Investigative Demands — about its business practices.
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC — The refusal of Google’s top executives, CEO Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt to testify at a hearing by the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee demonstrates a contempt for Congress and the full Senate Judiciary Committee should subpoena the two executives, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Blog Post
If you follow a company closely, like I follow Google, there is no better place to remind its executives of your continued interest than the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting. It keeps them on their toes….
Blog Post
I’ve just seen what has to be the lamest excuse ever to come out of the Googleplex. Apparently Google hasn’t implemented a Do Not Track mechanism on its Chrome browser, because, according to one of…
Blog Post
There can’t be anything better than having legislators compete to answer popular demand for better privacy protection. Hauling tech executives in and asking them to explain themselves never hurts. Twice in two weeks is even better.
