Inside Google

Consumer Watchdog Launches Inside Google Website To Focus Light on Internet Giant

John M. Simpson

Consumer Watchdog today formally launched its new Website, Inside Google, to focus attention on the company’s activities and hold Google accountable for its actions. The sites’ URL is http://insidegoogle.com.

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FTC Likely to Examine Google’s Wireless Gaffe

Jessica E. Vascellaro

Consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog said Monday it was sending the FTC a letter urging the agency to investigate the mishap. John Simpson, the group's consumer advocate, said he was concerned that Google's promise to get third-parties to review the software in question was insufficient.

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Google’s Eric Schmidt Sheds Light On Security, Search, AdMob, China

Laurie Sullivan

Google could announce this week that it will move SSL encryption implemented in Gmail to other services such as search. During the company's annual shareholders meeting a question on this from John Simpson, an investor who works for Consumer Watchdog, prompted a curt "Do you get the drift of the answer?" from Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt after Google vice president of search Marissa Mayer replied "stay tuned." Encryption has moved to the forefront after Google's admission last week it had collected small pieces of private information people sent through unencrypted wireless networks.

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Few Hardballs from Shareholders at Google’s Annual Meeting

Mike Swift

Perhaps the toughest shareholder question came from consumer advocate John Simpson, who asked Schmidt whether Google had agreed to a reported $700 million "kill fee" if Google's $750 million acquisition of the mobile advertising company AdMob is rejected by government antitrust regulators. Schmidt neither confirmed or denied that number, but predicted the deal would be approved by the Federal Trade Commission, which is expected to rule in coming days.

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Consumer Watchdog Targets Google

Cecilia Kang

Every month, Simpson comes to Washington to meet with staff on the Hill and regulatory agencies, journalists and corporate lobbyists. Simpson said he met last week with Jim Tierney, chief of the networks and technology section of the antitrust division of the Justice Department, and staffers about his petition for a broad investigation. Last year, he testified before Congress about privacy and competition concerns in Google's book settlement.

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Congressmen question proposed AdMob deal

John M. Simpson

Google's controversial $750 million deal to buy mobile advertising company AdMob has raised more doubts, this time from Capitol Hill.

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Is history repeating itself with Google antitrust saga?

Glenn Simpson

Is this how it begins? A handful of small companies crushed by a technology giant file David v. Goliath unfair competition lawsuits. A leading Silicon Valley antitrust expert lends his legal brains to the seemingly hopeless cause. Soon, a company that thinks it is all powerful and can do no wrong is forced to face up to the reality that it does not play well with others.

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News Clipping

Consumer Watchdog Calls on Justice Department to Launch Antitrust Action Against Google, Including Possible Breakup

By John Simpson

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Consumer Watchdog today called on the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a broad antitrust action against Google seeking remedial action that could include breaking the Internet giant into separate companies.

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Questions mount about Google’s AdMob deal

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..."

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Ex-Googler Falls Prey to Wonderful Privacy Flaw of Google Buzz

Clint Boulton

This is a fun story. Andrew McLaughlin, formerly Google’s top lobbyist and currently the deputy CTO in the White House, where he advises President Barack Obama on Internet policy, apparently was aghast to find his contacts exposed by Google Buzz. Buzz is the social Web services that leverage Gmail users’ contacts. By default, Buzz was […]

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