Inside Google

Press Release

Google’s Dominance Sparks Fear, Draws Antitrust Concerns

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

A weekend New York Times article puts a clear focus on the issues that are drawing antitrust regulators to focus on the Internet giant’s anticompetitive practices. Written by Steve Lohr and Clair Cain Miller the article, Google Casts a Big Shadow on Smaller Web Sites, explains what’s going on: Regulators in the United States and […]

Pressure Mounts Against Google for Its Anticompetitive Behavior

John M. Simpson

Signs that Google will soon face strong antitrust action on both sides of the Atlantic are increasing with a report Thursday from Bloomberg News Service that the the Federal Trade Commission staff has recommended that the Internet giant be sued for unfairly blocking competitors’ access to smartphone-technology patents.

Press Release

FTC Readies Antitrust Suit Against Google; Consumer Watchdog Called For Breakup Two Years Ago

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

News broke over the weekend that Federal Trade Commission staff is calling for the Commission to bring an antitrust case against Google for abusing its dominance in search, an action Consumer Watchdog first called for more than two years ago.

FTC Estimates Google’s Privacy Hack Earned Up To $4 million

John M. Simpson

One of the things you hear when companies try to minimize the impact of privacy violations is an attempt to claim there was no financial harm to consumers. However, in an interesting development the Federal Trade Commission is now publicly estimating that Google’s hack around Apple’s Safari browser privacy settings earned the Internet giant up to $ 4 million.

Press Release

Obama Ad Libs, Snubs Google In Acceptance Speech

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

Consumer Watchdog has long been critical of the way Google has had easy access to the corridors of power in the Obama Administration. Now there is clear sign that the Internet giant has lost its luster with the President.

Judge Orders Google, Oracle To Reveal Any Payments To Writers

John M. Simpson

Ever wonder who is behind some of the opinions expressed by various bloggers. Could it be that some are being paid to express particular views? Are they hit-men-for-hire?

Well, you’re not the only one to ask. The difference, though, is that this person can demand answers. The federal judge presiding in the Oracle v. Google patent infringement case wants to know if either company paid commentators or bloggers during the case.

Google Claims Another Wi-Spy “Mistake” After Breaking Promise

John M. Simpson

Google admitted Friday to the British data protection authorities that it failed to keep its promise to destroy data its Street View cars sucked up from private Wi-Fi networks. True to its form throughout out the Wi-Spy scandal, the Internet giant claimed it was all a mistake.

Press Release

Google Antitrust Deal In Europe Would Impact U.S.

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

Google — facing the possibility of a penalty of around $4 billion — is trying to cut a deal with European antitrust regulators that would settle the regulators’ objections without having to pay a fine.
It’s not certain that an agreement can be reached, but if one is, it will have a direct impact on the United States. Joaquin Almunia, EU competition commissioner, said that any concessions the Internet giant offers to resolve the EU’s antitrust concerns would be applied worldwide.

They’re Finally Getting Google’s Number

John M. Simpson

Consumer Watchdog has long held the view that Google’s executives are hypocrites, claiming their mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, while remaining deeply secretive about the company’s activities. It wasn’t a popular view of the Internet giant. I think many people used to see Google as a […]

Google Forging Ahead With New Policy Despite More Objections; Fines Needed

John M. Simpson

Google is forging ahead with its plan to launch its new privacy and data handling policies this Thursday despite objections from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.