Inside Google

A graphic display of what Google knows

John M. Simpson

Every wonder how much information Google has gathered? Scott Cleland, publisher of the Website GoogleMonitor.com, has pulled together a snappy one-page graphic, “Google’s ‘Total Information Awareness’ Power,” that answers the question.

With $26.5 billion to invest, Google’s investment team sets up shop

Margot Williams

Google has opened its own trading desk to manage its $26.5 billion in cash and short-term investments, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.  Heading the team is company treasurer Brent Callinicos, who joined Google from Microsoft in 2007.  Under Callinicos, Google has built a “state of the art” cash management system, with technology that allows traders to […]

Press Release

Consumer Watchdog’s Jamie Court and John M. Simpson introduce Inside Google

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

GSA for GSA

Margot Williams

In a serendipitous synchronicity, the Google Search Appliance (GSA) has debuted as the new search engine on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) web site.

Recently a box popped up on an obscure GSA web page titled “Transparency” which reveals that Google has taken over the search spot at the agency.

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Questions mount about Google’s AdMob deal

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

More concerns about Google’s $750 million proposed deal to buy mobile advertising company AdMob were raised Tuesday.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) wrote Jonathan Leibowitz, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, warning that the proposed deal “raises important competition issues which should be reviewed carefully…”

As Google’s lobbyists’ efforts soar, they claim to speak for you

John M. Simpson

It’s not surprising that Google wants clout in Washington and is willing to spend big bucks to ensure that its corporate voice is heard.  What surprised me, though, is the…

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Signs Google is worried about AdMob deal

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

Internet giant Google appears to be concerned that its proposed $750 million acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob is…

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FTC May Put Kibosh On Google’s AdMob Deal

CONTACT: Erika Morphy

Despite the fact that the mobile advertising market is still young and fragmented, U.S. regulators apparently are concerned that Google’s proposed acquisition of AdMob could give it an unfair competitive advantage. Google got an inkling that the FTC might want to give the deal a second look shortly after it was announced. At the end of December, the company received a "second request" for
additional information from the agency, Paul Feng, group product
manager, wrote in Google’s Public Policy blog. Shortly thereafter, two consumer groups — Consumer Watchdog and the
Center for Digital Democracy — asked the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal, arguing that it would lessen competition and harm consumers, advertisers and application developers, among others.

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Slide show features companies Google calls competition

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

I recently delved into Google’s 10-K filing covering 2009 with the Securities and Exchange…

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Google Identifies Competitors

CONTACT: Mike Swift

Google sees an Internet far more crowded with competitors than just a year ago. At least, that’s what the company is telling government regulators. Critics of Google’s dominance in search — Americans use Google for
about two thirds of U.S. searches, and the company has more than 70
percent of U.S. search advertising revenue, and about 90 percent in
Europe — say the expanded list of competitors is an attempt by Google
to paper over its dominance. "I think they are feeling the heat from several serious antitrust
investigations, and that’s reflected in the language they are using in
the 10-K," said John Simpson, of Consumer Watchdog. He argued in a
recent blog post that Google’s statements that it has many competitors
actually proves that "the opposite is actually true" and that "the real
risk to Google’s business is not from competition," but that regulators
in the U.S. and Europe "will act in the interest of consumers and force
the Internet giant to engage" in competition.