Privacy

Regulators Question Google’s Deal With Publishers — Online Book Project Raises Antitrust Concerns

April 30, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

U.S. antitrust enforcers are asking questions about Google’s settlement with publishers over its book-scanning project, representatives for Consumer Watchdog and the American Antitrust Institute said. Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based consumer group, spent about an hour on the phone with Justice Department lawyers this month to discuss their concerns, John Simpson, a consumer advocate at the group, said in an interview.

DOJ Inquiry Over Book Deal Puts Google on Notice

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Earlier this month, Consumer Watchdog sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder arguing that the deal between Google and the Author’s Guild raises antitrust concerns and hasn’t been adequately scrutinized with the public’s interest in mind. Consumer Watchdog objected to two components of the deal, arguing they create barriers to entry for potential Google competitors, thereby giving Google an unfair advantage in the nascent marketplace for digital books.

Authors & consumers uniting against Google book deal

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Google's overreaching in trying to <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=26117">tightly control scanned digital copies</a> of world literature has stuck an alarm bell with more than just consumers and the Justice Department

Google Lobs $880,000 At Health Record Lobby – What Ye Worry?

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Why is Google lobbying the US Congress over the webification of the nation's health records? It won't say. But lobbying it is. Consumer Watchdog is convinced that Google is lobbying for exclusion from the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which provides privacy protections for America's personal health records. As it stands, the laws that govern what doctors can do with a patient's medical records do not apply to the Google Chocolate Factory. If you upload your health records to Google, you have to assume the company will always do the right thing. </p>

Google Book Deal Targeted by Justice Department

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Google has reportedly been questioned by the U.S. Justice Department over whether its plans to digitize the world’s books into an online database represents a potential antitrust violation. An advocate for Consumer Watchdog, John M. Simpson, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking for government intervention in Google’s settlement with the Author’s Guild and the Association of American Publishers, arguing that it should have been reviewed to see if it met "the interests of consumers."

US Justice Department Probes Google Settlement

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

John M. Simpson, an advocate with Consumer Watchdog, a California consumer group, said his organization had been contacted by justice department lawyers to discuss orphaned rights after protesting about this aspect of the Google book settlement early this month. Meanwhile, a second person said that the anti-trust agency had also held talks with lawyers for Google on the same issue in the last two weeks.

U.S. Opens Inquiry Into Google Books Deal

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The Justice Department has begun an inquiry into the antitrust implications of Google's settlement with authors and publishers over its Google Book Search service, two people briefed on the matter said Tuesday. Lawyers for the Justice Department have been in conversations in recent weeks with various groups opposed to the settlement, including the Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog.

Federal Report Shines Light On Google’s EMR Lobbying Effforts

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

According to first quarter federal reports, Google participated in lobbying efforts aimed at allowing the sale of electronic medical records in the economic stimulus legislation. This contradicts the Internet giant's earlier response to Consumer Watchdog, a California-based, non-profit consumer education and advocacy organization, that their claims against Google were "100 percent false."

Justice Department Reviews Google Book Deal

April 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The U.S. Justice Department is making antitrust inquiries into Google Inc.'s settlement with authors and publishers over the Internet giant's project to scan millions of books and put them online. The Justice Department also contacted Consumer Watchdog after the Santa Monica advocacy group sent it a letter expressing concerns about the deal. "They talked to us with what I thought was great interest," John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said.

Judge Issues Extension In Google Book Search Settlement

April 28, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A federal judge has granted authors worldwide four more months to decide whether to participate in a settlement involving Google's online Book Search service. "The four-month extension is a big victory for those who oppose the Google Books settlement," said John Simpson, a consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog. "It's a clear recognition by the judge that there are problems with the proposed deal. The extension also gives the Justice Department more time to consider the antitrust issues that we and others have raised and discussed with them."<br />

Google, Others Ask For Delay In Book Search Settlement

April 27, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

With opponents to the ambitious Google Book Search settlement continuing to emerge, Google as well as authors and publishers have asked for a two-month delay in the search case. Earlier this month, advocacy group Consumer Watchdog also criticized the settlement on the grounds that it would give Google "an effective monopoly over digitized books" and asked the Department of Justice to intervene.

Resistance Grows As Google Deadline Nears

April 20, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Earlier this month, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog called for the Justice Department to delay the settlement. The group argued that no one is representing the public interest in the agreement, a deal it contends will "transform" publishing.