Inside Google

Effort To Craft Apps “Transparency Code” Shows Futility of Multi-Stakeholder Process

John M. Simpson

Obama Must Propose Legislation If He Cares About Privacy, Consumer Watchdog Says

WASHINGTON, DC – A yearlong effort convened by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) demonstrates the futility of crafting codes of conduct through a voluntary multi-stakeholder process and the way participants were asked their opinion of the proposed code makes a mockery of the effort, Consumer Watchdog said today.

Tech Companies Continue Pumping Millions Into Lobbying As Google Tops $3 Million, Facebook Spending Rises 10 Percent, Microsoft Posts Record $2.96 Million For Quarter

John M. Simpson

WASHINGTON, DC – Technology companies continued to pump money into their lobbying efforts during the second quarter, with Google leading the pack spending $3.36 million on its effort to buy influence with federal legislators and policymakers, according to disclosure forms filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Google, Facebook Continue Pumping Money Into Lobbying Efforts Setting New Records

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA — Google and Facebook continued to pump money into their Washington lobbying efforts in the third quarter with the Internet giant spending its second most amount in one quarter while the social networking company spent its most ever for one quarter.
“Google and Facebook would have you believe that they are different from other corporations,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project director. “They are not. They are following the corrupt corporate tradition in Washington: buying what you want.”

Google, Oracle Of Transparency, Gets Caught By Transparency; Consumer Watchdog Says Earnings Report Glitch Should Be Wake Up Call For Online Privacy

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog urged the founders of Google to take today’s early leak of financial information — which caused Google to ask to suspend trading in its stock — as a wake up call for the billionaire executives and prompt them to support giving Google users the right to suspend trading in their own private information.

Consumer Watchdog Praises EU Data Commissioners For Rebuking Google For Merged Privacy Policy

John M. Simpson

Calls on Federal Trade Commission To Protect U.S. Consumers

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today praised the European data commissioners for rebuking Google’s unilateral merging of privacy policies and data across its various product lines and called on the Federal Trade Commission to act to protect U.S. consumers.

Consumer Watchdog Urges ICANN To Reject Google, Amazon Applications To Buy Generic Internet Domains

John M. Simpson

Says Control of New Strings Could Threaten Free Internet SANTA MONICA, CA  – Consumer Watchdog has called on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to reject applications from Google and Amazon to buy control of huge swaths of the Internet by purchasing new generic Top Level Domains. In an open letter to […]

Google’s Driverless Car Law Poses Threat to Californians’ Safety and Privacy

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA – The driverless car law signed today by Gov. Jerry Brown at a ceremony at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View poses threats to Californians’ safety and privacy, Consumer Watchdog said.

FTC $22.5 Million Settlement With Google Is Deficient For Three Reasons Including Failure To Include Permanent Injunction, Consumer Watchdog Tells Court

John M. Simpson

SAN FRANCISCO – The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed $22.5 million settlement with Google for hacking past privacy settings on Apple’s Safari browser fails to include a permanent injunction against violating its “Buzz” Consent Decree with the Commission, one of three reasons it be should be rejected, Consumer Watchdog said today.

Consumer Watchdog Calls On Sen. Rockefeller To Thwart Google and Amazon Plans To Buy Generic Internet Domains

John M. Simpson

Control of New Strings Could Threaten Free Internet

WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today urged Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D –W.VA) to block attempts by Google and Amazon to buy control of huge swaths of the Internet by purchasing new generic Top Level Domains through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Consumer Watchdog Urges Gov. Brown To Veto Google’s Driverless Car Bill

John M. Simpson

Public Interest Group Terms Privacy Protections For New Technology Insufficient

SANTA MONICA, CA – California Gov. Jerry Brown should veto a bill that allows Google’s driverless cars on the highway because it does not provide adequate privacy protections for users of the new technology, Consumer Watchdog said today.