Tag Archive | "commentary"
Consumers Have A Right To Online Anonymity
The FTC's job is make sure that consumers have control of what data is gathered, how it is used and how long it's kept. Consumers must first be able to see what data Google and the other online companies have accumulated, then delete it if they wish or prevent it from being gathered in the first place. Control is the key. Google could long ago have offered everyone a simple "make me anonymous" button. But it's not likely that Google or any other company will voluntarily give us that control, because it endangers their advertising profits.
Continue reading...Smart Phone Apps Can Find You, Follow You
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Center for Digital Democracy and U.S. Public Interest Research Group filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last January, arguing that people should be asked for their consent before their information can be collected and used for mobile advertising. The Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog have urged the FTC to reject Google's acquisition of AdMob, citing both competitive and privacy concerns.
Continue reading...Con: Why Los Angeles Should Worry About Google’s E-mail System
Monday, October 26, 2009
Google wants the city of Los Angeles to switch its 30,000 e-mail users to an Internet-based system it operates, but rather than address real questions about the security of such "cloud computing" systems the Internet giant changes its story depending on its audience.
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...Google Presentation On “Google, Competition and Openness” Shared With Justice Department And Myths Debunked By Consumer Watchdog
Friday, May 8, 2009
Washington, DC -- Consumer Watchdog has sent to the U.S. Justice Department a Google document presenting the best corporate arguments for why Google should not be viewed as monopolistic, along with a duplicate of the presentation marked up with comments from an expert countering the claims. The nonprofit consumer group received both documents from an anonymous industry insider.
Continue reading...ConsumerWatchdog.org: Leaked Google Presentation Meant To Counter Fed Inquiries On Competition
Friday, May 8, 2009
Is Google a monopoly? That question, which is increasingly gaining the attention of regulators in Washington, D.C., is also the subject of an intense public relations war between Google and detractors. Today, a new front was opened up, after a consumer advocacy group released a copy of a Google presentation on Google's business practices, along with critical commentary that casts doubt on Google's claims that it supports competition. The group, ConsumerWatchdog.org, said that the Google presentation is part of a campaign to counter federal inquiries into potentially anticompetitive practices.
Continue reading...Google Pro-Openness Campaign Meets Opposition
Friday, May 8, 2009
Google has launched a wide-ranging campaign highlighting its "competition and openness," meeting with everyone from policymakers to media in order to convince them of its anti-monopolistic intentions. Certain consumer-advocacy organizations, however, do not have a warm and fuzzy feeling about Google’s motives. In a May 8 news release, nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog described sending the U.S. Justice Department a copy of a document that Google had been using to back its anti-monopolistic claims; the nonprofit group had taken the liberty of marking the document up with comments.
Continue reading...Facing Criticism, Google Tries Buffing Its Image
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Google, having dealt with two major antitrust issues 2008 and facing the potential of more to come, has begun a program to try to spruce up its image and show that competition is alive and well. Consumer Watchdog on Friday plans to tout a Google presentation titled Google, Competition, and Openness (PDF) that the advocacy group uncovered. The company presentation (also embedded below) gives Google's views that it faces plenty of competition in a dynamic market.
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Thursday, January 28, 2010
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