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Issa Urged to Probe Google’s ‘Cozy’ Relationship with Obama Administration
Google’s close relationship with the Obama administration has allowed the search giant inappropriate benefits such as access to a NASA airfield and lowered scrutiny on its private practices, according to a new report from Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...Group Urges Congress To Investigate Google’s Relationship With Government Agencies
24. January 2011
A new report by Consumer Watchdog accuses the Obama administration of having an inappropriately close relationship with Google, allowing the company to escape scrutiny.
Continue reading...Google Critic Calls for Probe
24. January 2011
One of Google’s biggest critics is now urging new House Republican leaders to investigate the search giant’s ties to the Obama administration. The request Monday comes from Consumer Watchdog, which is asking Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to wield his “subpoena power if necessary” to bring soon-departing Google CEO Eric Schmidt before his oversight committee this year. The group hopes Issa will investigate “several areas where we believe Google has inappropriately benefited from close ties to the administration.”
Continue reading...Google CEO Surprise: Larry Page Replacing Eric Schmidt
21. January 2011
John Simpson, spokesman for non-profit advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, says Schmidt “has put his foot so far in his mouth, so frequently, about privacy that it got him kicked upstairs.” Adds Simpson: “Larry Page stepping in as CEO is a great step, if he remembers where he came from and what the company stood for when he co-founded it.”
Continue reading...Google’s CEO Switch Could Be a Risky Move
20. January 2011
Consumer Watchdog, an organization that has been critical of Google’s privacy policies and missteps, said it welcomes the CEO change. “Eric Schmidt has put his foot in his mouth so far on key issues like privacy that he’s kicked himself out of the CEO’s office,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Inside Google Project, in a statement.
Continue reading...Stearns Plans to Introduce Privacy Bill
14. January 2011
Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson said that Stearns’s effort “shows that protecting online privacy is a bipartisan issue that resonates on both sides of the aisle. Privacy may be one of the areas where Congress can get something done this session.”
Continue reading...FTC To Tackle Claims?
2. January 2011
The groups, including the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the World Privacy Forum and Consumer Watchdog, filed a complaint with the FTC in November charging that pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry are secretly gathering information about patients, their conditions and their drug and treatment preferences through health websites, e-newsletters and online drug coupons.
Continue reading...Don’t Be Evil When You Sell, And Other Retail Resolutions
31. December 2010
In November advocacy groups Center for Digital Democracy, U.S. PIRG, Consumer Watchdog, and the World Privacy Forum filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over “unfair and deceptive” advertising and data gathering practices at online health information and service sites.
Continue reading...Apple Lets Mobile Trackers Have a Field Day, Alleges Consumer Lawsuit
28. December 2010
“It is clear that we need some kind of ‘do not track’ legislation for smartphones as well as online,” John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog, told MacNewsWorld. This transmission of information was described as common in the Journal article, he noted — and consumers have no recourse.
Continue reading...Former Google Lobbyist Resigns from White House
28. December 2010
John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, who has criticized McLaughlin’s appointment from the start, wrote in a blog post: “It’s good he’s gone.”
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24. January 2011