reform – Page 45 – Inside Google

Press Release

Google’s Lobbying Spending Soars 41 Percent to $1.34 Million While Internet Giant Relies On Well-Connected Team

21. July 2010

WASHINGTON, DC — Google spent $1.34 million trying to influence federal lawmakers and regulators in the second quarter of 2010, a 41 percent increase over $950,000 in the same period a year ago, Consumer Watchdog said today. Besides its willingness to spend, a key to Google’s lobbying effort is its well-connected Washington staff, most of whom have worked for Congress or the executive branch, said the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group.

News Clipping

Google Has Been Fibbing About Data Mining

By Staff Writers , TECHEYE.NET

20. July 2010

Consumer Watchdog has said that the Energy and Commerce Committee really must conduct hearings into Google privacy violations, with information coming to light about Google’s classified contracts with the US government.

News Clipping

Update: Consumer Watchdog Will Testify at Thursday Web 2.0 Hearing

By Gautham Nagesh , HILLICON VALLEY (The Hill's Tech Blog)

20. July 2010

The House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Information Policy has reversed itself and invited John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog to testify at Thursday’s hearing on federal agencies’ use of Web 2.0 technologies. The invitation to Simpson is dated Tuesday, one day after a subcommittee staff member informed Republican lawmakers that the hearing would feature only one panel of all government witnesses. Simpson is the lead advocate on Consumer Watchdog’s Google Privacy and Accountability Project and has been a harsh critic of the search giant in the past. He was also the only witness requested by Republican lawmakers.

News Clipping

Advocacy Calls for Congressional Hearings on Google Spying

By Byron Acohido , USA TODAY - Technology Live Blog

20. July 2010

The Washington Post’s Top Secret America investigation about the vast scale and scope of U.S. government top-secret work, published this week, has revealed some troubling alliances with giant corporations to potentially spy on individual citizens. The Post identified 1,931 companies engaged in top-secret work for the government, including search giant Google. Citing revelations from the Post’s report, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, is petitioning Congress to look examine whether Google’s Wi-Fi spying may be tied to Google’s government contracts.

News Clipping

Rivals Say Google Has Too Much Sway Over Administration’s Net Neutrality Policy

By Jennifer Martinez , THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

19. July 2010

Internet service providers cite e-mails between onetime Google executive Andrew McLaughlin, who now works for the White House, and his former colleagues as the FCC prepares to rewrite the rules governing broadband. John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said the e-mails suggested that Google, an Internet behemoth with $23.7 billion in annual revenue, had too cozy of a relationship with the White House.

Press Release

Google’s Wi-Spying And Intelligence Ties Prompt Call For Congressional Hearing

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

19. July 2010

SANTA MONICA, CA — Citing new information about Google’s classified government contracts and the Internet giant’s admitted Wi-Spying activity, Consumer Watchdog today said it is more imperative than ever for the Energy and Commerce Committee to conduct hearings into possible privacy violations by Google.

News Clipping

John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog, on Google’s Political Influence and “Misguided Motto”

By Addy Dugdale , FAST COMPANY

15. July 2010

As Google grows in size, so does its political influence. And, while this may not overly worry most people, there is one man who is keeping a close watch on the search engine firm. He is Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson, and one gets the feeling that he revels in his role of giant-killer.

News Clipping

Google’s Washington Influence Is Spreading, Some Say Too Much

By Addy Dugdale , FAST COMPANY

13. July 2010

It’s not the first time that Google’s doings in Washington have hit the headlines–but perhaps it is the first time that Google is being attacked from all sides. Its lobbying spend for the first quarter of 2010–$1.3 million [2]–was released three months ago, and set on by Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson. The non-profit, non-partisan organization has its own Inside Google website, which last week scored a hit on the firm via its data-collecting methods.

News Clipping

Google Under Investigation

By Tony Landucci , KSRO 1350 AM (Sonoma, CA)

13. July 2010

Consumer Watchdog’s Inside Google, an investigative branch of Watchdog, has completed an investigation on the data collection practices of Google. It appears that the vehicles taking pictures for the Google Street View application on Google Maps have been also been scanning local wireless networks. Now members of Congress are pushing congressional hearings based on what they’ve found.

News Clipping

Oz Privacy Boss Says Google Wi-Fi Slurp Breached Law

By Cade Metz , THE REGISTER UK

10. July 2010

In an effort to spur a Congressional investigation in the States, the consumer watchdog known as Consumer Watchdog has retraced Street View’s past Washington D.C. routes and found that various members of Congress have open Wi-Fi networks whose data may have been lifted by the Google cars. The watchdog wrote a letter to Representative Jane Harman, chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment and a former ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, telling her that Google may have lifted her personal info.

Archive | Tag: reform