Privacy

CalChamber’s Anti-Brown ‘Issue” Ad Draws FPPC Complaints

April 8, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The <a class=" lingo_link lingo_link_hidden" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California+Chamber+of+Commerce/">California Chamber of Commerce's</a> new <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/04/state-chamber-o.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"issue" ad </a> attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate <strong><a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Jerry+Brown/">Jerry Brown's</a> </strong>record on spending and taxes has sparked ethics complaints from at least two groups who say the 30-second spot runs afoul of the state's election laws. The first <a href="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/resources_LTR_FPPC_CoC4710.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a>, filed with the Fair Political <a class=" lingo_link lingo_link_hidden" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Practices+Commission/">Practices Commission</a> by <strong>Consumer Watchdog</strong>, claims that the "issue advocacy ad" constitutes "express advocacy against a candidate for office" and should be subject to independent expenditure disclosure rules, including identifying the donors behind the television buy.

Complaint Filed Over ‘Issues’ Ad Attacking Jerry Brown

April 7, 2010  ·  Jamie Court

A consumer group has filed a <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/LTR_FPPC_CoC4710.pdf">complaint against the California Chamber of Commerce</a> with the state agency that enforces campaign finance law over the business group's <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/04/business-group-attacks-jerry-brown-with-a-wink-and-a-nod.html">television commercial attacking Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown</a>, Democratic candidate for governor. The California Democratic Party said it too would file a complaint on the same issue.

UC’s Yudof Wants To Know More About Chamber Of Commerce’s Anti-Brown Ad… Because Yudof’s On The Chamber Board

April 7, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Remember that TV ad we told you the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=60741">California Chamber of Commerce</a> just fired at Dem Guv candidate Jerry Brown? Well, it's ticking off -- or at least inspiring questions from -- a bunch of folks (like UC President and Chamber board member Mark Yudof). They're wondering why the Chamber is going all political on them. And some are asking the state's Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate.

Questions mount about Google’s AdMob deal

April 7, 2010  ·  John M. Simpson

More concerns about <a href="http://www.google.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google's</a> $750 million proposed deal to buy mobile advertising company <a href="http://www.admob.com">AdMob</a> were raised Tuesday.<br/> <br/> ...

Donors’ Dollars Spent In Odd Ways

April 4, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>CAMPAIGNS: Despite new rules, state lawmakers' expenses often appear unrelated to being elected.</strong><br /> <br /> "The regulations have increased transparency but they're far from perfect. That's largely because candidates are failing to do what they're required to do: State clearly the political, legislative and government purposes of an expense," said Carmen Balber, the Washington director for Consumer Watchdog who submitted written testimony about the proposal in 2008. "For one expense, there's lots of detail. The next, nothing at all," Balber said of the filings. "Why is that? Is it because they lost the receipt? Or is it because the expense is hard to explain?"    </p>

Official’s Buzz Profile Sparks FOIA Request For His Emails

April 2, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> This week, Breitbart's Big Government <a href="http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/03/30/google-buzz-privacy-flaw-snags-another-victim-white-house-deputy-cto-andrew-mclaughlin/">reported</a> that McLaughlin's Buzz profile showed that at least 28 of his contacts worked at Google. "McLaughlin's Gmail appears to include a 'who's who' of Google senior lobbyists and lawyers from across the globe," the site wrote. That's reason enough to request McLaughlin's emails, says John Simpson, consumer advocate for Consumer Watchdog. "His top contacts were former Google colleagues," Simpson says. "That prompted a concern on my part. We ought to be able to see the emails that have gone back and forth between McLaughlin and Google executives." </p>

Buzzed Gmail Outs Google Ties to Obama’s Deputy CTO

April 2, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Ex-Googler Hoist By Mountain View's Own Petard</strong><br /> <br /> Following Big Government's post about McLaughlin's Gmail activity, Consumer Watchdog filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, seeking emails between the deputy CTO and his former employer. "This shows what was wrong with Google Buzz in the first place, but it has also outed McLaughlin as maintaining ongoing ties with Google," Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson tells The Reg. "It's one thing if you go to a company and get a technology guy who's buried in the company and bring him into government. But McLaughlin was their top global lobbyist, peddling influence for the company around the world." </p>

Ex-Googler Falls Prey to Wonderful Privacy Flaw of Google Buzz

April 2, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson rushed to call conspiracy, requesting copies of e-mail between McLaughlin and Google under the Freedom of Information Act. Simpson said: "The appointment was troubling when it was announced, but signs that McLaughlin is continuing a cozy relationship with his former employer while serving in the top White House Internet policy job are even more disconcerting. The public has a right to see exactly what sort of messages have been exchanged with his former employer and colleagues. </p>

Nail shut the revolving door between Congress and industry

April 2, 2010  ·  Carmen Balber

<p> We'll never get real financial reform if the staff advising lawmakers (or members themselves) are busy auditioning for their next job on Wall Street. Both houses of Congress should enact tougher rules that don’t rely on the conscience of individual lawmakers to nail shut the revolving door between Congress and industry... </p>

Consumer Group Seeks Google, White House E-Mails

April 2, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=33552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said today</a> it filed a <a href="../../../resources/OSTPFOIA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedom of Information Act request </a>for copies of e-mails traded between the White House's Deputy Chief Technology Officer and Google Inc., his former employer.  Andrew McLaughlin, previously the Mountain View search company's chief policy executive, unwittingly revealed his frequent exchanges with former colleagues when the Google Buzz service launched in February, according to a story this week by <a href="http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/03/30/google-buzz-privacy-flaw-snags-another-victim-white-house-deputy-cto-andrew-mclaughlin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breitbart's Big Government</a>.

Group Wants Ex-Google Staffer’s E-Mail

April 1, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The public interest group Consumer Watchdog filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Thursday asking to see emails between President Obama's Deputy Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin and his former employer, Google.

April Fool! Parodies on Google or is the joke on us?

April 1, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Google's April Fool joke this year - renaming its search site "Topeka" - was a self-congratulatory disappointment compared with some of the funny self-parodies of previous years, for instance, ...</p>