Inside Google

Gmail Judge Holds Internet Accountable To Wiretap Laws In Key Consumer Victory

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA — In a seminal decision for online privacy, a federal judge in San Jose, CA., today rejected Google’s claims that wiretapping laws do not apply to its Gmail business and that consumers who email people with Gmail accounts have no legitimate expectation of privacy.

Investigation Reveals Google Executives Dodged Taxes On Planes Based At Moffett Field In Sweetheart Deal

John M. Simpson

Consumer Watchdog Says U.S. Attorney Should Launch Probe
SANTA MONICA, CA — Google’s top executives avoided paying millions of dollars in local property taxes on their fleet of aircraft based at NASA’s Moffett Field, as well as bought government fuel substantially below market price, a new investigative report shows. Consumer Watchdog today said the U.S. Attorney should investigate.

Pentagon Ends Sweetheart Fuel Deal For Google Execs’ Aircraft At Moffett Highlighted By Consumer Watchdog Two Years Ago

John M. Simpson

Group Calls For Eviction and Legal Probe

SANTA MONICA – The Pentagon has ended a deal described two years ago by Consumer Watchdog that allowed a company owned by top Google executives to buy jet fuel for a fleet of aircraft based at Moffett Field. The public interest group said today the aircraft should be evicted from the facility and an investigation opened to see if laws were broken.

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Google Not Exempt From Wiretap Law In Wi-Spy Suit

John M. Simpson

Billions of Dollars At Stake For Google’s Collection Of Data With Street View Cars

SANTA MONICA, CA – A federal appeals court ruled today that Google’s interception of messages from private Wi-Fi networks is not exempt from federal wiretap laws, opening the way for a class action suit in the Wi-Spy case to move forward with possible damages amounting to billions of dollars.

Consumer Watchdog Urges European Commission To Charge Google In Antitrust Probe

John M. Simpson

Latest Settlement Proposal from Internet Giant Is “An Attempt To Obfuscate And Delay”

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today called on the European Commission to file a formal Statement of Objections against Google in the nearly three-year-old antitrust investigation of the Internet giant and said Google’s latest settlement offer was an attempt to stall the investigation.

Privacy Groups Urge FTC To Block Pending Facebook Privacy Changes

John M. Simpson

WASHINGTON, DC – A coalition of six consumer privacy groups is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to enforce an earlier consent order with Facebook and block proposed changes in the social network’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and its Data Use Policy because the proposed changes violate the 2011 settlement with the Commission.

Consumer Watchdog Calls On Gov. Brown To Sign ‘Do Not Track’ Legislation, But Cautions Law Is Only A Step Towards Knowledge, Not Full Consumer Power

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA – Consumer Watchdog today urged Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a Do Not Track bill just passed by the State Legislature because it is a step towards consumer knowledge, but the public interest group added that ultimately consumers must have the right to simply say “no” to online tracking.

Consumer Watchdog Joins EPIC In Opposing $8.5 Million Settlement In Google Suit

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA. – Consumer Watchdog joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and three other public interest groups today in opposing a proposed $8.5 million settlement in a class action suit against Google for privacy violations in the way it handled users’ search data because of at least “three obvious deficiencies” in the proposal.

Google Is Either Lying To The Court Or To The Public, Consumer Watchdog Says

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA – Google is either lying to the court or lying to the public, Consumer Watchdog said today, after the Internet giant made new public claims asserting it respects users’ privacy that contradicted an earlier court filing it made. Google said in a court filing that there was no legitimate expectation of privacy when emails were sent to its system.

Google Tells Court You Cannot Expect Privacy When Sending Messages to Gmail — People Who Care About Privacy Should Not Use Service, Consumer Watchdog Says

John M. Simpson

SANTA MONICA, CA — In a stunning admission contained in a brief filed recently in federal court, lawyers for Google said people should not expect privacy when they send messages to a Gmail account. Consumer Watchdog said today that people who care about their email correspondents’ privacy should not use the Internet giant’s service.