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In One Step, You Can Ask Data Brokers to Delete Your Data Right Now

In One Step, You Can Ask Data Brokers to Delete Your Data Right Now

Surveillance Price Gouging

Surveillance Price Gouging

How to Opt Out from the Biggest Data Brokers

How to Opt Out from the Biggest Data Brokers

Privacy

Consumer Watchdog investigations and advocacy on data privacy, surveillance, AI, and your right to control your personal information.
Whole Foods’ crummy employee insurance: What John Mackey means by ‘choice’

Whole Foods’ crummy employee insurance: What John Mackey means by ‘choice’

August 20, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan
<p> The whole <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119099537379">boycott fracas</a> over Whole Foods CEO John Mackey made me curious: what is it about health reform that scares Mr. Mackey? Mackey's <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html">Aug. 11 Op-Ed </a>in the Wall Street Journal called for government to keep out of health care--to let employers, charitable rich people and private insurance companies take care of it and allow maximum choice. He especially praises "high-deductible" health plans--which are the only form of insurance that Whole Foods offers employees. </p>
Court Weighs Literary Flap Of The Century

Court Weighs Literary Flap Of The Century

August 17, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<a href="http://www.authorsguild.org/">The Author's Guild</a> has urged members to go along with a lawsuit settlement that would allow Google to digitize millions of books from libraries and make them available in its Book Search service. A prominent literary and talent agency has urged just the opposite. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/technology/companies/03google.html">the Department of Justice</a> currently has the settlement under review for possible violations of antitrust laws. A federal court has extended the deadline to Sept. 4 for authors and publishers to opt out of the proposed agreement. The court has been inundated with proposed changes to the settlement, including one filed by a group of California professors who suggest the settlement isn't fair to academic writers. Several groups, including The Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog, have also raised concerns about the issue to the Justice Department in what many consider the literary flap of the century.
Twitter Breach Revives Cloud Security Fears

Twitter Breach Revives Cloud Security Fears

August 10, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<strong>Some interest groups are urging Los Angeles to rethink its plan to implement Google Apps.</strong><br /> <br /> Last month's breach of a hosted Google Apps implementation used by Twitter Inc. has heightened fears in some quarters that cloud computing could pose significant security and privacy risks to users. Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group based in Santa Monica, Calif., said the Twitter incident raises questions about whether "Google's cloud as offered provides adequate safeguards." In a letter to several Los Angeles city councilors, the group urged that city IT personnel first test Google Apps with a small group of users, rather than following the current plan of implementing it for 30,000 users by the end of this year.<br />
FTC to Apple, Google Boards: We’re Watching

FTC to Apple, Google Boards: We’re Watching

August 5, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<p> The Federal Trade Commission says it will keep investigating the board memberships of Apple and Google despite Google CEO Eric Schmidt's withdrawal from Apple's board. Another boardroom interlock remains for the two companies: Genentech Chairman Arthur Levinson is on the board in both Mountain View and Cupertino. An E-Commerce Times request for response from Genentech regarding Consumer Watchdog's call for Levinson to step down from either Google's or Apple's board was not received by press time. One point mentioned by Consumer Watchdog's Simpson was Genetech's investment in 23andMe, the genetic-testing-for-consumers company founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin. </p>
Arthur Levinson To Follow Eric Schmidt’s Lead?

Arthur Levinson To Follow Eric Schmidt’s Lead?

August 4, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog
Calls for Genentech Inc.chairman Arthur Levinson to quit either the board of Apple Inc. or the board of Google Inc. are increasing, following on the heels of Monday's news that Google CEO Eric Schmidt has stepped down from Apple's board. Consumer Watchdog is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that is also pushing the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to insist on guarantees of user privacy before agreeing to the 10-year deal between Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo! Inc.
Schmidt And Jobs Part Company

Schmidt And Jobs Part Company

August 4, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog
John Simpson at the Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit organisation, has applauded Mr. Schmidt's move but at the same time criticised the "clubby atmosphere" that prevails in Silicon Valley where everyone seems to be on one another's board.