Inside Google

Google as Pentagon contractor

Margot Williams

Google’s emergence as a major defense contractor was underscored last week when the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency tweaked its Aug. 20 announcement of a sole-source contract to the search giant for visualization services.

Press Release

Google faces close DOJ scrutiny on ITA

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

Despite what the spinmeisters over at Google’s Public Policy Blog would have you believe, the Internet giant is facing tough scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice over its planned acquisition of ITA Software.

Google loses its mojo

Margot Williams

Three Web pundits are asking: is the quality of the Google’s search product declining? These are not the defensive gripes of traditional journalists lamenting the demise of the newspaper business model. These are New Media partisans who say the quality of the Google search experience is declining.

If you’re ashamed of what you’ve done, change your name

Margot Williams

At a certain point, fabulously successful people can grow fabulously out of touch with the world that the rest of us live in. Think of the late Michael Jackson. Think the hedge fund manager who was surprised that people were offended by his $3 million birthday party.

Is new tablet computer tied to Google-Verizon deal?

Margot Williams

When Google and Verizon (G-V) announced their “joint policy framework” on net neutrality, the search giant denied its new position had been shaped by its alliance with the telecom giant.

Four House members blast Google-Verizon plan; call on FCC to act

John M. Simpson

Four members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, on Monday called the Google-Verizon joint net neutrality plan too “industry-centered” and called on the Federal Communications Commission to regulate broadband.

Did Google-Verizon deal scuttle a better Web plan?

Margot Williams

The New York Times reported Monday that Google and Verizon reached their agreement on managing the Internet just as the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to forge “a stronger agreement” were close to succeeding.

“Do Not Track Me” gains traction in Washington

John M. Simpson

I’m just back from a sweltering week in Washington, DC, convinced that those of us who care about protecting consumers’ online privacy have reason for optimism. There is growing interest in creating a “Do Not Track Me” list and mechanism to implement it.

Google’s net neutrality case fails to convince

Margot Williams

As protests against Google’s changing position on net neutrality mount online (here, here and here) and at the company’s Mountain View campus, it’s worth parsing the search giant’s official response.

Google moves to profit from its “crown jewels” — your data

John M. Simpson

A Wall Street Journal article this week details how Google is increasingly moving to maximize profits from the vast amount of personal data it has amassed in its global network of servers at the expense of consumers’ privacy. Google chairman Eric Schmidt once claimed Google put its money “where our principles are.” The Journal’s revealing article showing how profits triumph over privacy demonstrates the stark reality: Google puts its principles where the money is.