Inside Google

Google Praised For Agreeing To Improve E-mail Security

Staff Writers

Consumer Watchdog praised Google on Tuesday for agreeing to offer improved
security for users of its online e-mail services like Gmail.

Press Release

Google Says It Loves Competition

CONTACT: Richard Koman

With Justice Department scrutiny over the Google Books Settlement
only the the leading edge of antitrust regulators’ attention to Google,
the company has launched a dog-and-pony show dedicated to combating the
impression that more control is needed. In a presentation (PDF)
acquired by Consumer Watchdog, Google public affairs lead Adam
Kovacevich argued that Google is anything but anti-competitive. Its
success comes from “learning by doing,” the presentation says.

Press Release

Google Polishes Competition Charm Offensive

CONTACT: Tom Krazit

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Google continued to lay the groundwork Wednesday for
an antitrust defense in the event that the federal government decides
to take a formal look at its core business.
Inside a conference room in Google’s San Francisco office,
executives ran through essentially the same presentation leaked last
month by the consumer activist group Consumer Watchdog,
focusing most of their efforts on trying to paint a picture of Google
as just one part of a large Internet ecosystem, as opposed to a
dominant search giant.

Press Release

Reports: DOJ Turns Up The Heat On Google’s Book Deal

CONTACT: Juan Carlos Perez

The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped up its review of a deal that would settle a lawsuit publishers and authors filed against Google over the latter’s book search engine, according to published reports. Consumer Watchdog has charged that the proposed settlement gives Google special protections against lawsuits over orphan works.

Press Release

Google Receives Federal Request For Book Settlement Info

CONTACT: Staff Writers

The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly investigating Google’s
digital books settlement with publishers, which Google claims will make
millions of volumes accessible to all but which has critics crying
antitrust issues. Google’s books project has run into opposition from a
number of groups, including Consumer Watchdog, arguing that it gives the search engine company too
much control over content with little oversight.

Consumer Groups Challenge Obama’s Appointment Of Google Executive

Staff Writers

Two consumer groups are seeking to throw a roadblock in front
of President Obama’s pending appointment of Google’s top global public
policy official, arguing that it would violate Obama’s ethics rules
aimed at eliminating the influence of lobbyists on the federal
government.

John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, said
McLaughlin is good at what he does – "lobbying around the world for
Google’s interests," he said. "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," he said.

Press Release

Obama Urged To Halt Google Government Takeover – Stop The Revolving Door

CONTACT: Cade Metz

Two consumer watchdogs – including the aptly-named Consumer Watchdog – have urged US President Barack Obama to avoid appointing Google’s director of global public policy as the country’s deputy chief technology officer.

Google Lobbyist Unfit for Deputy CTO Job, Say Critics

Erika Morphy

President Obama reportedly is poised to name Andrew McLaughlin,
a former Google executive, as U.S. deputy CTO. The choice rankles the
heads of two advocacy groups, who maintain that McLaughlin’s work as a
lobbyist on behalf of Google makes him unsuitable for the government
policy development role.

Growing White House Ties To Google Draw Protest

Patrick Thibodeau

Consumer Groups Object To Expected Selection Of Google Exec To Deputy CTO Post

Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s director of global public policy, is
expected to be appointed U.S. deputy chief technology officer,
reporting to federal CTO Aneesh Chopra. Both are new White House positions. Two groups, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog,
yesterday urged Obama not to appoint McLaughlin to the post. In a
letter signed by Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for
Digital Democracy and and John Simpson, consumer advocate at Consumer
Watchdog, the groups said that McLaughlin "has been a lobbyist for the
biggest digital marketing company in the world, and we believe no
special-interest connected person should assume a position of vital
importance to the country’s future."

Obama’s Googler Draws Fire

Alexei Oreskovic

A pair of consumer advocacy groups sent the White House a letter on
Wednesday urging the administration not to appoint Google’s Andrew
McLaughlin to the post, a move reported to be in works by several media
outlets. McLaughlin is Google’s director of global public policy. That means he
has been “responsible for Google’s worldwide lobbying efforts,” said
the letter from Consumer Watchdog and Center for Digital Democracy. Obama has issued an executive order barring anyone who has worked as a
lobbyist in the past two years from serving in a federal agency that
they lobbied.