Inside Google

Google Posts Advertising ‘Spin Document’ Online

Jason Linkins

Well, it’s a good nod to almost-transparency, anyway. But just so you remember: Google would have preferred you not see these materials at all! And Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court remains concerned…

Secret Google Presentation Defends Invasive Behavioral Ads

Carmen Balber

Consumer Watchdog Releases Satirical Annotated Version, Says Cyber-Spying Should Raise Lawmaker Alarms Over Internet Giant’s New ‘Net-based Operating System

Consumer Watchdog Takes On Google As Lawmakers Mull Data Privacy Regulation

Jason Linkins

Consumer Watchdog — which, as the name implies is a consumer watchdog organization — is raising alarms over privacy concerns that have been brought to the fore as online search company Google engages in wheeling and dealing before the House Communications and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.

Press Release

Google Makes a Case That It Isn’t So Big

CONTACT: Miguel Helft

Eyes are rolling, especially in reaction to the idea that Google is a
relatively small player in a giant market. “They describe where they
are in a market under a kind of a fairy-tale spun gloss that doesn’t
reflect their dominance of key sectors,” said Jeff Chester, executive
director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google search is an
absolute must-have for every marketer in the world.”

Hill Mulls Online Privacy Rules — And Which Agency Would Oversee

Anne Veigle Greg Piper

Consumer groups want rules requiring a standard disclosure and
opt-in form, a ban on tracking information on a consumer’s health,
sexual orientation and financial condition and a "do-not-track"
registry that would enable people to declare they don’t want to be
tracked, according to a written statement from the Consumer Federation
of America. That group, the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer
Watchdog and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse have agreed on the
principles and are urging policymakers to adopt them. Allowing industry
to self-regulate won’t work, they say, because most companies rely on
"opt-out" mechanisms that are hidden from consumers. And the FTC’s
principles for behavioral advertising "don’t provide a basis for action
to stop abuses," the statement said.

Consumer Watchdog Praises Google For Considering New E-mail Security But Asks Why It Took Internet Giant So Long To Act To Protect Users

John M. Simpson

Santa Monica, CA — Google should be praised for agreeing to offer
improved security for users of its online services like Gmail, Consumer
Watchdog said today, but the non-partisan, non-profit consumer group
asked why the the company waited so long to act.

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."

Ex-Googler’s New White House Job Rankles Some

Amy Schatz

Andrew McLaughlin’s departure from Google to the Obama administration
has prompted a little grumbling among some consumer advocates and the
search giant’s corporate foes. “We do not object to Mr. McLaughlin’s appointment because he is
associated with Google per se. The problem is that he 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,” wrote John M. Simpson,
founder of Consumer Watchdog, and Jeffrey Chester, founder of the
Center for Digital Democracy.