Tag Archive | "lack of transparency"
Google Street View Scanned US Politicos
A US consumer site claimed that Google Street View may well have cast its beady Orwellian eye over US politicians' wi-fi networks. Consumer Watchdog said that if that happened, US national security data could have been compromised. It said that Representative Jane Harman, who chairs the Intelligence Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee "has at least one wireless network in her Washington DC home that could have been breached by Google."
Continue reading...Google Removes WiFi Gear from Street View Cars
Friday, July 9, 2010
Meanwhile, Consumer Watchdog said July 8 that Google's WiSpy snooping could have sucked up and recorded communications from members of Congress. The consumer advocacy group said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., chair of the Intelligence Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee, has at least one wireless network in her Washington, D.C., home that could have been breached by Google.
Continue reading...Google Downplays Claim It May Have Breached Lawmakers’ Home Networks
Friday, July 9, 2010
Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based advocacy group that has been a sharp critic of Google's privacy practices in the past, said Thursday that the search giant may have breached the networks while its vehicles were collecting wireless SSID information for the company's Street View service.
Continue reading...Google Accused of US “Snooping”
Friday, July 9, 2010
Google's popular Street View project may have collected personal information of members of Congress, including some involved in national security issues. The claim was made by leading advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog which wants Congress to hold hearings into what data Google's Street View possesses.
Continue reading...Sniffing in StreetView’s Tracks
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Google’s horrendous breach of privacy with its StreetView data-collection gaffe may at least have one beneficial consequence: making WiFi users think more about security. Consumer Watchdog, which has emerged as one of the main anti-Google agitators, decided to follow in the tracks of the StreetView cars - literally. It sent out its own vehicle to “sniff” the WiFi networks of certain members of the US Congress whose homes have been photographed by the Google service.
Continue reading...Consumer Group Says Google May Have Tapped State Secrets
Thursday, July 8, 2010
To find out, Consumer Watchdog picked five members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and drove around their D.C. homes. Using software downloaded from the Internet, they determined one of the five - Democrat Jane Harman of El Segundo - was using two unsecured networks.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Wades Into ‘SpyFi’ Fiasco
Thursday, July 8, 2010
COULD GOOGLE SPY-FI SNIFF OUT LAWMAKERS? Maybe, stresses Consumer Watchdog, a longtime, vocal Google critic. The group plans to make the case at a press conference on Thursday that Google’s Street View team not only intercepted unsuspecting Web users’ data transmitted over unsecured private networks, but is capable of doing the same with lawmakers’ sensitive information as well.
Continue reading...Google Should Answer Some Searching Questions
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Google woos people with its "don't be evil" slogan and assures us that everything it does is meant to enhance our online experience. But a new study by US advocacy group Consumer Watchdog - of which I am part - has found evidence that the internet giant's search results are skewed to its own advantage.
Continue reading...Ten Consumer Advocate Groups Ask Congress to Strengthen Privacy Bill
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
“The problem is that the bill relies too much on the idea of ‘notice and consent,’ which really hasn’t worked,” said John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, Washington. “It also pre-empts stronger state laws and does not allow private action suits. These provisions are extremely unfriendly for consumers.
Continue reading...Should Silicon Valley Be Worried About a Backlash?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Just last week, Consumer Watchdog released a report claiming Google abuses its dominance of search to steer users to its other products. The revelation that the Google Street View team in Europe had "accidentally" collected large amounts of personal user data through Wi-Fi connections certainly hasn't helped.
Continue reading...
Friday, July 9, 2010
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