Tag Archive | "lobbying"
Following the money in L.A.’s proposed Google email deal
L.A. City council is wrestling with a proposal to shift the city's 30,000 email users and other computer applications to a system provided by Google. Anytime a deal like this is under consideration, it's worth checking the money trail. I examined records kept by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission to see who paid what to whom.
Continue reading...Microsoft, Yahoo Finally Sign Search Deal
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Microsoft and Yahoo clearly are bracing for regulatory scrutiny. The news release emphasized that the two companies will "continue to compete vigorously" in other areas, including e-mail, instant messaging and display advertising. It also stressed that the agreement restricts the sharing of search and other data. Consumer Watchdog in Washington, D.C., called on the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to probe the deal for potential antitrust violations and privacy concerns.
Continue reading...Heat is on Google, so it ups lobbying spending 30%
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What do you do if you're a gargantuan Internet company that's come under increased scrutiny, despite your "Don't-be-evil" mantra? Send in the...
Continue reading...Google snips ‘confidential’ label from lobbying doc after criticism
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Google probably thought it was being subtle and sly. Just after Consumer Watchdog obtained and released Google's new "confidential" lobbying document, Google posted the same document, stripped of its "confidential" and "proprietary" labels, as an example of its public transparency.
Continue reading...Secret Google Presentation Defends Invasive Behavioral Ads
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Consumer Watchdog Releases Satirical Annotated Version, Says Cyber-Spying Should Raise Lawmaker Alarms Over Internet Giant’s New ‘Net-based Operating System
Continue reading...Google Makes a Case That It Isn’t So Big
Monday, June 29, 2009
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.”
Continue reading...Google Polishes Competition Charm Offensive
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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.
Continue reading...Consumer Groups Challenge Obama’s Appointment Of Google Executive
Saturday, June 6, 2009
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.
Continue reading...Obama Urged To Halt Google Government Takeover – Stop The Revolving Door
Friday, June 5, 2009
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.
Continue reading...Google Lobbyist Unfit for Deputy CTO Job, Say Critics
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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.
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Monday, August 24, 2009
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