Inside Google

Googling Obama’s China policy

Eamon Javers Kenneth P. Vogel

Google’s ties to the Obama administration are perhaps unrivaled in corporate America, but the Internet giant’s announcement this week that it’s considering pulling out of China because of Chinese censorship and hacker attacks put the White House in a tricky spot. "They like to go around and sing the mantra, ‘Don’t be evil,’" said
John Simpson, a consumer advocate with the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.
"But they almost always act in what they perceive to be Google’s
interest – and that doesn’t necessarily coincide with that of any
government."

Google is still the 800-pound gorilla

John M. Simpson

Google acted again Tuesday to ensure that will be a dominant player in the increasingly important mobile market.  It clearly wants to avoid what happened to other tech…

Press Release

Taking Aim At Google, Apple Buys Mobile Ad Firm

CONTACT: Chris Lefkow

Apple has bought mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless as cellphone competition heats up between the maker of the iPhone and Internet giant Google. Google’s purchase of AdMob is currently being examined by the US
Federal Trade Commission, and two consumer groups, the Center for
Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog, have urged the FTC to oppose
the deal on anti-trust grounds.

Press Release

Consumer Groups Sound Alarm Over Google’s AdMob Buy

CONTACT: Erika Morphy

Google’s plan to acquire mobile ad network AdMob in a US$750 million deal announced last month is under fire from two consumer groups, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital Democracy. The two have asked the Federal Trade Commission
to block the deal, arguing that it would substantially lessen
competition in the mobile advertising market, harming consumers,
advertisers and application developers, among others.

Google’s AdMob Move In The Spotlight

Richard Waters

Google’s spreading reach in internet advertising triggered fresh
scrutiny of its privacy practices this week, as US consumer groups used
its proposed $750m acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob to throw a new spotlight on the issue. The move on Monday, by Consumer Watchdog and Center for Digital Democracy, echoes a similar campaign at the time of Google’s acquisition of online display advertising group DoubleClick in 2007.

Press Release

Consumer Groups Want To Stop Google’s Purchase Of AdMob

CONTACT: James Temple

San Francisco, CA — Two consumer groups called on the Federal Trade
Commission to block Google Inc.’s planned $750 million acquisition of
mobile advertising company AdMob, arguing the deal undermines
competition in what could become the critical billboard space of the
digital age. In a joint letter to the FTC on Monday, Consumer Watchdog and the
Center for Digital Democracy argued that combining the online search
giant with a company that describes itself as the "largest mobile ad
network globally," would harm consumers, advertisers and developers of
mobile applications.

Google’s AdMob Deal Criticized

Ville Heiskanen

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should block the planned
acquisition because it would diminish competition in the mobile- ad
market, consumer groups said

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should block Google
Inc.’s planned acquisition of AdMob Inc. because the deal would
diminish competition in the mobile-advertising market, two consumer
groups said. The takeover would give Google dominance in mobile advertising and hurt consumers, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog said in a statement today. The groups said they sent a joint letter to the FTC.

Press Release

Advocacy Groups Urge FTC To Bar Google-AdMob Deal

CONTACT: Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON D.C. – Two advocacy groups asked U.S. antitrust regulators
on Monday to block Google’s purchase of AdMob, a provider of
advertising services for mobile phones, on antitrust grounds and to
address privacy issues raised by the deal. Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy organization, and the Center for
Digital Democracy, an advocate of open access to the Internet, said in
a letter to the Federal Trade Commission that the proposed deal would
"substantially lessen competition in the increasingly important mobile
advertising market."

Press Release

Consumer Groups Try To Block Google Purchase Of AdMob

CONTACT: Wire Reports

WASHINGTON — Two consumer groups urged the US Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) on Monday to block Internet search and advertising giant Google’s
proposed purchase of mobile advertising company AdMob. In a joint letter, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital
Democracy (CDD) asked the FTC to oppose Google’s acquisition of AdMob
on anti-trust grounds and said the deal also raises privacy concerns.

Privacy And Consumer Advocacy Groups Cite Privacy, Competition Concerns With Google-AdMob Deal

Wendy Davis

Google’s proposed $750 million acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob
would threaten privacy while also decreasing competition, two advocacy
groups said Monday in a letter to Federal Trade Commission chair Jon
Leibowitz. The organizations are asking the FTC to block the deal. "The consolidation of AdMob into Google would provide significant
amounts of data for targeting advertising," the Center for Digital
Democracy and Consumer Watchdog argue.