Tag Archive | "lack of transparency"
An Inside Look at Google’s Loudest Critic
Jamie Court, chief spokesman John Simpson, Washington coordinator Carmen Balber, and social-media strategist Josh Nuni are planning the Future of Online Consumer Protections conference, which was taking place Wednesday amid the Federal Trade Commission's release of a report that threw the government's weight behind a "Do Not Track" list for the Internet: a controversial sentiment among companies that make their money advertising on the Web. They've been handed an early Christmas present courtesy of the European Commission, which chose to announce its decision to formally investigate Google on the eve of Consumer Watchdog's conference as Simpson almost gleefully fields calls from reporters asking for reaction to the investigation.
Continue reading...Facebook, Google Behavioral Ads Will Survive FTC’s Proposed “Do Not Call” Registry for the Web
Thursday, December 2, 2010
At a Consumer Watchdog event Wednesday, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection proposed a new "Do Not Track" tool to curb privacy concerns over behaviorial advertising. The tool would be akin to the "Do Not Call" registry created in the early aughts which enabled the public to block the surging (and annoying) amount of telemarketers, Politico reports [1]. "Do Not Track" would work within browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, but would require an act of Congress to pass.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Says Congress Must Act Now On “Do Not Track Me”
Thursday, December 2, 2010
WASHINGTON DC — The Federal Trade Commission repeated its support today for a “Do Not Track Me” mechanism to protect consumer online privacy and Consumer Watchdog called on Congress to pass legislation necessary to implement the safeguard.
Continue reading...FTC Official Says Agency Is Monitoring Google’s Practices
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"You may well see something soon from the U.S. agencies, but I can't promise anything," said Melanie Sabo, Assistant Director for Anticompetitive Practices at the FTC's Bureau of Competition. Speaking at a Consumer Watchdog conference called "The Future of Online Consumer Protection," Sabo said her comments reflect her own views and not those of the FTC. The conference, held in Washington, D.C., was webcast over the Internet.
Continue reading...Reback Rehearses for the Case Against Google
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Gary Reback, an attorney with Carr & Ferrell and a prominent figure in the antitrust trials involving Microsoft, told attendees at Consumer Watchdog's Future of Online Consumer Protections conference here that the European case, built off complaints by a comparison shopping engine, could demonstrate that Google has improperly penalized specialty search engines in its quest to maintain its leading search engine market share. The refrain is a familiar one among Google critics: that Google's Universal Search unfairly promotes its own content over that of competitors.
Continue reading...FTC to Release ‘Do Not Track’ Report on Web Privacy
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
David Vladeck, head of the bureau of consumer protection at the FTC, told attendees at Consumer Watchdog's Future of Online Consumer Protections conference that the agency plans to release the report later this morning that will lay bare the FTC's commitment to giving U.S. consumers greater choice when it comes to opting out of online tracking. Vladeck declined to get into specifics for fear of upstaging his boss later in the day, but said "we need to reduce the burden on consumers" to monitor how companies are tracking their activities on the Internet for advertising purposes.
Continue reading...Two Agencies Favor Do Not Track Option to Protect Web User Privacy
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Weitzner spoke at a conference on the future of online consumer protections that the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog hosted. Marketers have created a lucrative business by collecting detailed data on Internet users' behaviors and backgrounds, including estimates of income and family composition, to compile consumer profiles for corporate clients. Do Not Track "is the perfect illustration for a robust stakeholder process to develop voluntary but enforceable codes of conduct," Weitzner added.
Continue reading...Microsoft’s Old Nemesis, Gary Reback, to Address Antitrust Probe of Google
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Last April, Consumer Watchdog published this report, titled Traffic Report: How Google Is Squeezing Out Competitors and Muscling Into New Markets. The group formally asked the Justice Department to launch an antitrust probe of the search giant. But the European Commission beat their U.S. counterparts to the punch. "I welcome the European action, but Google is a U.S. Company and it's long past time for our authorities to launch an investigation," says Consumer Watchdog spokesman John Simpson.
Continue reading...Google Faces EU Antitrust Investigation Over Search
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Google watchdogs for the Consumer Watchdog praised the Commission's move but lamented the lack of such scrutiny of the search engine in the U.S. "It's long been clear that Google unfairly uses its dominance in search to benefit its own services," said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog's Inside Google project. "I'm pleased with the European announcement, but this is a U.S. company and it is past time for our authorities to act decisively."
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Welcomes EU Antitrust Probe of Google; Calls On U.S. Justice Department To Launch Investigation
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Google’s Anticompetitive Tactics Will Be Topic At Group’s Conference Wednesday WASHINGTON — Consumer Watchdog today welcomed the European Union’s antitrust investigation of Google and reiterated its call for the the U.S. Justice Department to launch its own investigation of the Internet giant.
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Friday, December 3, 2010
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