Archive | Tag: FTC

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Three-Into-Two Doesn’t Wash

Consumer Watchdog noted the competitive search and advertising
landscape will deteriorate – not improve – if the result is two
enterprises that exploit users’ data at the expense of their privacy
rights. John Simpson, an advocate with the group, said the FTC and DoJ must
insist users retain control of their data, how it’s used, and where its
stored. "Users must have control of their data – whether it is collected and
how it is used. Guarantees of that control must be in place before this
deal is approved. Justice and the FTC can – and must – insist on this,"
he said in a statement.

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Press Release

Santa Monica CA — The proposed 10-year partnership on Internet search
and search advertising between Microsoft and Yahoo! must be closely
scrutinized by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department
to ensure there are no antitrust violations and that user privacy is
guaranteed, Consumer Watchdog said today.

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News Clipping

Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, also predicted
the settlement would "pass muster" because it opens up new markets. But
those concerned about the settlement said they were pleased with the
Justice Department’s letter. "This is now a clear step that they are
taking the matter seriously." said John M. Simpson, an advocate for
Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit consumer group.

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News Clipping

The Justice Department on Thursday said it had launched a formal antitrust investigation into the proposed settlement over the Google Inc. project to scan millions of books into a digital format. In recent months, a number of parties have objected to the settlement, including Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica, the American Library Assn. and the Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization that seeks to digitize public domain books and make them freely available online. Many of the objections involve concerns that Google would create a monopoly on digital books.

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Eyes are rolling, especially in reaction to the idea that Google is a
relatively small player in a giant market. “They describe where they
are in a market under a kind of a fairy-tale spun gloss that doesn’t
reflect their dominance of key sectors,” said Jeff Chester, executive
director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google search is an
absolute must-have for every marketer in the world.”

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Consumer Groups Object To Expected Selection Of Google Exec To Deputy CTO Post

Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s director of global public policy, is
expected to be appointed U.S. deputy chief technology officer,
reporting to federal CTO Aneesh Chopra. Both are new White House positions. Two groups, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog,
yesterday urged Obama not to appoint McLaughlin to the post. In a
letter signed by Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for
Digital Democracy and and John Simpson, consumer advocate at Consumer
Watchdog, the groups said that McLaughlin "has been a lobbyist for the
biggest digital marketing company in the world, and we believe no
special-interest connected person should assume a position of vital
importance to the country’s future."

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Two consumer groups object to Andrew McLaughlin’s potential appointment, saying it would violate President Obama’s ethics guidelines.

Andrew McLaughlin is slated to become the new deputy CTO, under federal
CTO Aneesh Chopra, according to a New York Times report citing two
unnamed sources. Google has acknowledged McLaughlin’s departure, but not his
destination. The White House has not yet announced plans to appoint
McLaughlin. Nonetheless, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog on
Wednesday asked President Obama in a letter not to complete the rumored
pending appointment because doing so would violate the President’s
ethics guidelines.

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In-your-face watchdog gets advice from Microsoft ‘people,’ interest from Verizon

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Google Inc. has attracted a number of
critics over the years, but the Internet search giant hasn’t yet had to
deal with any as jarringly adversarial as Consumer Watchdog. "Their tactics tend to be more confrontational than others’," said Tim
Little, executive director of the Rose Foundation, an Oakland,
Calif.-based organization that funds Consumer Watchdog. "But sometimes
there’s a place for folks being confrontational."

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