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“I’m really incredulous,” said John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog. “What they are saying is the No. 1 and the No. 2 can combine, and it’s not a problem because there is a No. 3 over there that is now owned by Apple. I find that incomprehensible.”
News Clipping
By browsing through several dozen emails now being posted by a consumer group, anyone can read for himself the chummy chatter that has been occurring for the past year between a couple of senior Google officers and White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin, who headed Google’s global public policy unit until assuming his current post in May 2009.
Press Release
The Federal Trade Commission’s decision allowing the $750 million deal for Google to buy mobile advertising company AdMob is anticompetitive and bad for consumers, Consumer Watchdog said today.
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“Google advocates openness and transparency for everyone else, but when it comes to their own activities, the company is extremely secretive,” said Consumer Watchdog spokesman John Simpson. “Inside Google will focus needed public attention on Google’s activities.”
Blog Post
Outrage continues to rise over Google’s “WiSpy” efforts that saw its Street View cars snoop on private WiFi networks as they roamed the streets of 30 countries over the last three years. Europeans contemplated criminal charges; U.S. lawmakers asked the Federal Trade Commission what it’s doing and a class action suit was filed in Oregon.
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Consumer Watchdog and Center for Digital Democracy were concerned more about the impact the deal would have on consumers’ ability to protect their privacy than the possible antitrust implications of the acquisition.
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission received a letter on May 17 from Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, California-based group that frequently criticizes Google, calling for an investigation into the Street View matter.
Press Release
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.
News Clipping
Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson said in a release: “McLaughlin received a mild slap on the wrist.” Simpson has called for McLaughlin’s resignation saying a technology expert, not a policy expert, should be in the position.
News Clipping
What happens when Google’s former public policy director starts working in the White House—but continues to e-mail current Google lobbyists, and to take their e-mails? If you’re Consumer Watchdog, the answer is simple: he “should resign his position.”
