Inside Google

Critics Rip Obama’s Proposed Google Pick

Roy Mark

As rumors swirl that President Obama plans to appoint Google’s Andrew McLaughlin as White House deputy chief technology officer, consumer watchdogs bay over possible ethics violations. "Mr. McLaughlin is very good at what he does — lobbying around the
world for Google’s interests," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate
at  Consumer Watchdog. "That’s not what this job requires. It should
not go to any person whose most recent position has been advocating
policy for a technology company."

Google Updates PageRank, Rolls Out Web Elements

Nicholas Kolakowski

However, Google has also run into some high-profile controversies over
the past few months. In April, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Consumer
Watchdog publicly questioned the settlement between Google, The Author’s Guild
and the Association of American Publishers
(AAP) over the search-engine giant’s growing
digital library. In particular, Consumer Watchdog argued that the settlement, which gave
Google the same terms as any theoretical future competitor, deserved to be
placed under government review.

Press Release

Google University of Michigan Sign Digital Library Oversight Agreement

CONTACT: Staff Writers

Google attracted more negative attention than perhaps it bargained for
with its goal to digitize the world’s libraries. In April 2009, a
nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, Consumer Watchdog, wrote a
letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking the government to
examine the settlement between Google, The Author’s Guild, and the
Association of American Publishers (AAP). That settlement, Consumer Watchdog argued, deserved to be placed under
government review because it gave Google the same financial terms of
digital-book rights as any future competitor.

Give Google your data or die

John M. Simpson

Believe it or not, Google’s co-founder Larry Page says that the Internet giant needs to retain your search data more than six months in order to save lives.

Press Release

Google’s New Scourge Strikes A Nerve

CONTACT: John Letzing

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."

Google Openness Is A Closed Door — Open Source Versus An Open Mind

Cade Metz

When Google meets with Congressional staffers, hoping to convince US lawmakers that it’s nothing but good for the world, the web giant likes to say that it believes in openness. "Open is better than closed, “the company says. Open "enhances competition" and "encourages innovation.” But if you ask the company to discuss its openness, it’s not too open about it. Late last week, the consumer watchdog known only as Consumer Watchdog
uncovered the canned pitch that Google recently launched at Capitol Hill in an effort to re-spin itself.

Press Release

Is Google Insurmountable?

CONTACT: Andrew LaVallee

After Google unveiled new features to its search results yesterday, one
analyst is saying that the company’s leadership position has become
virtually unshakable. Google’s name is increasingly coming up in antitrust discussions, and there are signs that regulators are considering whether it is a monopoly. A presentation outlining reasons Google is not monopolistic surfaced on Consumer Watchdog last week.

Press Release

U. Chicago Law Prof Criticizes Settlement That Could Give Google Monopoly On ‘Orphaned’ Texts

CONTACT: Maria Mauriello

CHICAGO, IL — University of Chicago law professor Randal Picker raised
concerns recently over a court settlement that will grant Google the
exclusive right to publish orphaned texts –- texts which remain under
copyright, but whose copyright holder can’t be identified or found-a
move he felt could give Google a powerful monopoly. A group of professors from Harvard Law School, and the Internet
Archive, have each independently filed motions to intervene in the case
on the grounds of antitrust violations. Several groups, including The
Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog, have also raised concerns about
the issue to the U.S. Department of Justice, which so far has not
displayed any intention to involve itself in the case.

Press Release

Google Presentation On “Google, Competition and Openness” Shared With Justice Department And Myths Debunked By Consumer Watchdog

CONTACT: John M. Simpson 310 392-0522 ext 317 or Jamie Court ext 327

Washington, DC — Consumer Watchdog has sent to the U.S. Justice
Department a Google document presenting the best corporate arguments
for why Google should not be viewed as monopolistic, along with a
duplicate of the presentation marked up with comments from an expert
countering the claims.  The nonprofit consumer group received both
documents from an anonymous industry insider.

Press Release

ConsumerWatchdog.org: Leaked Google Presentation Meant To Counter Fed Inquiries On Competition

CONTACT: Ian Lamont

Is Google a monopoly? That question, which is increasingly gaining the
attention of regulators in Washington, D.C., is also the subject of an
intense public relations war between Google and detractors. Today, a new front was opened up, after a consumer advocacy group
released a copy of a Google presentation on Google’s business
practices, along with critical commentary that casts doubt on Google’s
claims that it supports competition. The group, ConsumerWatchdog.org,
said that the Google presentation is part of a campaign to counter
federal inquiries into potentially anticompetitive practices.