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Missouri AG Looks Into Google Wi-Fi Mess
Consumer advocate John Simpson said he was happy to see Missouri asking for an explanation. “Google’s … operation compromised consumers’ privacy in the very heartland of America,” said Simpson, an advocate with California’s Consumer Watchdog, in an e-mail message. “The Internet giant needs to be held accountable.”
Continue reading...Critics Call on Feds to Squelch a Google Monopoly
3. June 2010
The concerns set forth by Microsoft, Consumer Watchdog, and other observers go beyond whether Google gives unfair prominence in search rankings to paid advertisers. Critiques range from “A company such a Google could abuse its search dominance” to “Google is already abusing its search dominance” to push its other revenue-generating services — such as maps, video, and shopping searches — at the expense of competitors.
Continue reading...Data Show Google Abuses Search Role, Group Contends
3. June 2010
Consumer Watchdog continues to push its case that Google Inc. is behaving as an illegal monopoly, releasing a report this morning that alleges the company is abusing is dominance in online search to direct users to its own services.
Continue reading...Watchdog Backs Google Antitrust Complaint with (More) Data
2. June 2010
Public advocate and longtime Google critic Consumer Watchdog has issued a report [1] alleging that the web giant may have used its search monopoly to illegally drive traffic to its own services.
Continue reading...Google Wi-Fi Incident Under More Scrutiny
2. June 2010
Consumer Watchdog said it obtained three years of Internet traffic from the Web metrics firm Experian Hitwise to analyze Web traffic to Google’s other services. It claims that it shows Google’s search results favor its services over competitors, a claim Google has repeatedly denied.
Continue reading...Google’s Wi-Fi Data Harvest Facing More Probes, Lawsuits
2. June 2010
Canada’s move follows confirmation that a U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigation of Google is also underway. The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog requested the FTC probe on May 17. The agency responded that it was “reviewing” that request.
Continue reading...Google Grabs Personal Info Off of Wi-Fi Networks
27. May 2010
Consumer Watchdog, a group that has become one of Google’s most outspoken critics, renewed its call for a regulatory crackdown Friday. “Once again, Google has demonstrated a lack of concern for privacy,” said Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson. “Its computer engineers run amok, push the envelope and gather whatever data they can until their fingers are caught in the cookie jar.”
Continue reading...Congressional Panel Seeks WiFi Data Answers From Google
26. May 2010
Meanwhile, consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog on Wednesday urged state attorneys general to investigate whether the company broke wiretap, privacy and unfair business practices laws. The group also called on state authorities to demand that Google preserve all documents relating to its data-collection activities because they could be evidence in criminal or civil cases.
Continue reading...Google Worth $1 Billion to Pa. Commerce
26. May 2010
The report drew mixed reactions yesterday. The nonprofit Consumer Watchdog organization dismissed it as hype based on “cooked accounting” that counts benefits, but doesn’t consider the impact on some content providers and competitors who suffer from Google’s “monopolistic control of search.”
Continue reading...Google Raises Its Game In Washington
Ariana Eunjung Cha Cecilia Kang
26. May 2010
John Simpson, a researcher for the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog who was the first to raise questions about McLaughlin’s appointment to the White House, said Google’s bumbling intellectual persona in Washington is just an act.
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4. June 2010