Tag Archive | "employees"
Former Google Lobbyist Resigns from White House
John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, who has criticized McLaughlin's appointment from the start, wrote in a blog post: "It's good he's gone."
Continue reading...When Analysts Look Over Their Shoulders
Thursday, December 23, 2010
"We're interested in the monopolistic power that Google has, how they are using it and whether it has disadvantaged consumers," said John Simpson, a director at Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...Google Denies Connecticut AG Street View Data
Saturday, December 18, 2010
That answer isn't satisfactory for privacy pundits such as Consumer Watchdog's John M. Simpson. "Google's refusal to give data gathered by its Street View cars from private WiFi networks to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal underscores the need for a Congressional hearing," Simpson said. "What is Google hiding?
Continue reading...An Inside Look at Google’s Loudest Critic
Friday, December 3, 2010
Jamie Court, chief spokesman John Simpson, Washington coordinator Carmen Balber, and social-media strategist Josh Nuni are planning the Future of Online Consumer Protections conference, which was taking place Wednesday amid the Federal Trade Commission's release of a report that threw the government's weight behind a "Do Not Track" list for the Internet: a controversial sentiment among companies that make their money advertising on the Web. They've been handed an early Christmas present courtesy of the European Commission, which chose to announce its decision to formally investigate Google on the eve of Consumer Watchdog's conference as Simpson almost gleefully fields calls from reporters asking for reaction to the investigation.
Continue reading...Facebook, Google Behavioral Ads Will Survive FTC’s Proposed “Do Not Call” Registry for the Web
Thursday, December 2, 2010
At a Consumer Watchdog event Wednesday, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection proposed a new "Do Not Track" tool to curb privacy concerns over behaviorial advertising. The tool would be akin to the "Do Not Call" registry created in the early aughts which enabled the public to block the surging (and annoying) amount of telemarketers, Politico reports [1]. "Do Not Track" would work within browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, but would require an act of Congress to pass.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Says Congress Must Act Now On “Do Not Track Me”
Thursday, December 2, 2010
WASHINGTON DC — The Federal Trade Commission repeated its support today for a “Do Not Track Me” mechanism to protect consumer online privacy and Consumer Watchdog called on Congress to pass legislation necessary to implement the safeguard.
Continue reading...FTC Official Says Agency Is Monitoring Google’s Practices
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"You may well see something soon from the U.S. agencies, but I can't promise anything," said Melanie Sabo, Assistant Director for Anticompetitive Practices at the FTC's Bureau of Competition. Speaking at a Consumer Watchdog conference called "The Future of Online Consumer Protection," Sabo said her comments reflect her own views and not those of the FTC. The conference, held in Washington, D.C., was webcast over the Internet.
Continue reading...Reback Rehearses for the Case Against Google
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Gary Reback, an attorney with Carr & Ferrell and a prominent figure in the antitrust trials involving Microsoft, told attendees at Consumer Watchdog's Future of Online Consumer Protections conference here that the European case, built off complaints by a comparison shopping engine, could demonstrate that Google has improperly penalized specialty search engines in its quest to maintain its leading search engine market share. The refrain is a familiar one among Google critics: that Google's Universal Search unfairly promotes its own content over that of competitors.
Continue reading...FTC to Release ‘Do Not Track’ Report on Web Privacy
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
David Vladeck, head of the bureau of consumer protection at the FTC, told attendees at Consumer Watchdog's Future of Online Consumer Protections conference that the agency plans to release the report later this morning that will lay bare the FTC's commitment to giving U.S. consumers greater choice when it comes to opting out of online tracking. Vladeck declined to get into specifics for fear of upstaging his boss later in the day, but said "we need to reduce the burden on consumers" to monitor how companies are tracking their activities on the Internet for advertising purposes.
Continue reading...Microsoft’s Old Nemesis, Gary Reback, to Address Antitrust Probe of Google
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Last April, Consumer Watchdog published this report, titled Traffic Report: How Google Is Squeezing Out Competitors and Muscling Into New Markets. The group formally asked the Justice Department to launch an antitrust probe of the search giant. But the European Commission beat their U.S. counterparts to the punch. "I welcome the European action, but Google is a U.S. Company and it's long past time for our authorities to launch an investigation," says Consumer Watchdog spokesman John Simpson.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
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