Tag Archive | "lobbying"
Buzzed Gmail Outs Google Ties to Obama’s Deputy CTO
Ex-Googler Hoist By Mountain View’s Own Petard It would be hard to imagine a better Google story. If the company’s own web services somehow outed the most intimate secrets of CEO Eric Schmidt – a man who says net privacy is only for miscreants – that would surely be Google story to end all Google […]
Continue reading...As Google’s lobbyists’ efforts soar, they claim to speak for you
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It's not surprising that Google wants clout in Washington and is willing to spend big bucks to ensure that its corporate voice is heard. What surprised me, though, is the...
Continue reading...Googling Obama’s China policy
Friday, January 15, 2010
Google's ties to the Obama administration are perhaps unrivaled in corporate America, but the Internet giant's announcement this week that it's considering pulling out of China because of Chinese censorship and hacker attacks put the White House in a tricky spot. "They like to go around and sing the mantra, 'Don't be evil,'" said John Simpson, a consumer advocate with the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog. "But they almost always act in what they perceive to be Google's interest - and that doesn't necessarily coincide with that of any government."
Continue reading...Political Parties, Candidates Cashing In On Pay-To-Play Issues Forums
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Top industry executives piled into Google's Silicon Valley headquarters over the weekend to hear California's Barbara Boxer, New Mexico's Jeff Bingaman and other Democratic senators discuss some of the most pressing policy issues on Capitol Hill. Consumer Watchdog urged the seven Democratic senators on the agenda for the weekend's Google event to boycott it, since it created the appearance of "pay-to-play politics when so many issues of concern to Google and the rest of the Silicon Valley technology community are on the table."
Continue reading...Democrats’ Event Raises Questions About ‘Pay To Play’
Friday, November 13, 2009
A Democratic Party-sponsored "national innovation conference" to examine key policy and technology issues at Google's headquarters beginning today has critics charging that the $5,000-and-up ticket prices limit access to the event to Silicon Valley high rollers and raise the specter of "pay to play" politics. Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica likened the event to Republicans holding an energy conference at an oil company headquarters. The consumer rights group urged California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and four other senators to boycott the fundraiser sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Continue reading...Watchdog Blasts Google Event
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A watchdog group is calling on seven senators not to attend an event at Google's headquarters that the organization says is a fundraiser masquerading as a policy conference. Consumer Watchdog sent a letter Wednesday to the seven Democratic senators set to participate in the National Innovation Conference Friday and Saturday sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Those listed as attending include: Senators Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Tom Carper, D-Del., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Mark Warner, D-Va., as well as President Obama's pollster, Joel Benenson, according to a DSCC brochure obtained by Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...Google Selected To Handle City’s E-mail Operation
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
CONTRACT: Deal Could Save $5 Million, But Some Still Have Security Concerns Google trumped Microsoft and Novell on Tuesday, winning a $7.25 million contract to create an e-mail system for workers in Los Angeles. John Simpson with the group Consumer Watchdog warned against adopting the Google system until more work is completed on security. "It may be the thing of the future, but I'm not sure it is there yet," Simpson said. "The security checks don't exist yet. It is the gleam in Google's eyes." Part of the City Council's approval was based on promises from Google that it will reimburse the city for any damages.
Continue reading...Will City of L.A. jump into Google’s cloud?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I spent all afternoon Monday waiting at the LA City Council Budget Committee to give the Council members my two minutes on why Google's proposal to put the City's computing into its cloud could be dangerous. In a nutshell: Security,...
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Highlights Google Hypocrisy In Differing ‘Cloud Computing’ Statements
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Group Also Releases 3rd Round Of Annotated Google Documents In ‘Charmwatch’ Campaign SANTA MONICA, CA -- Consumer Watchdog today slammed Google for its apparent hypocrisy in marketing its new "cloud computing" products, blandly assuring customers that their data is secure on Google Internet servers but at the same time warning shareholders of the security risks posed by swift expansion of its commercial online business. The nonpartisan, nonprofit group sent a letter to a Los Angeles City Councilman showing that Google says one thing when trying to sell its products, but something else in federally required filings aimed at shareholders. Consumer Watchdog also released another round of annotated Google P.R. documents in its Google “Charmwatch” campaign.
Continue reading...Microsoft’s Secret ‘Screw Google’ Meetings In D.C.
Friday, August 28, 2009
In recent months, two heavily detailed, annotated versions of confidential Google slide presentations -- one dealing with competition issues, the other with behavioral targeting -- have been published by a Santa Monica–based group called Consumer Watchdog. The annotations are highly critical of Google and seek to rebut the search giant's arguments.
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Friday, April 2, 2010
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