Privacy

If you don’t vote in a darkened room does the public ever know?

December 6, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Kudos to Maplight.org and the California First Amendment Coalition, who filed suit this week to force the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/03/BAOK14H3OS.DTL">state’s legislative counsel to release</a> its voting record database.

Sometimes Google listens

December 5, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Don't be shy about <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling Google what you think </a>of the company's activities.  Sometimes the internet giant listens to what its users say.<br/> <br/> A case in point:...

Consumer Advocacy Grows In Web Space

December 1, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Douglas Heller, executive director of ConsumerWatchdog.org, suggests that the business press is beginning to pick up some of the slack created by shrinking newsrooms. Mark Reback, public advocate at ConsumerWatchdog.org, says that PR pros often target local and syndicated columnists with consumer advocacy pitches, especially if the angles are humanized.

Out of pique, gov speaks truth

November 26, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/politicians/articles/?storyId=23931">Last week I chastised state lawmakers</a> - including members of the budget committees - for deciding to carry on with out of state trips to places like China and Hawaii rather than get down to the business of crafting a solution to the state's budget disaster... </p>

Another Vote Possible On Stem Cell Funding

November 21, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Questions raised about governance of state institute</strong><br /> SACRAMENTO, CA -- State voters will probably get a chance to extend taxpayer funding of stem cell research beyond the $3 billion they have already committed, the head of the state stem cell institute told the Little Hoover Commission yesterday. <font>John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica advocacy group, suggested trimming the board's membership to 15 people with no conflicts of interest.</font> </p>

Consumer Watchdog: Google Should Increase Privacy Efforts

November 19, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog wants Google Inc. to implement more privacy protections in its e-mail and search systems as it may be looking at e-mails coming and going from GMail accounts.

It’s China, Hawaii and India for California legislators

November 19, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The record-late budget that lawmakers passed in September is already so far in the red that the governor was forced to summon lame duck legislators back to Sacramento for an emergency budget session. Only, as the SF Chronicle reports,... </p>

Group Warns of Google Browsing, E-mail

November 18, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog is a consumer advocacy group that believes Google's e-mail service, called Gmail, is not private or secure. And Consumer Watchdog says the security problem is not only with Gmail users, but also with those who may not have Gmail but correspond with Gmail users.

Consumer Watchdog: Google Made First Political Contributions

November 12, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

California campaign disclosures show that Google, which has had issues from privacy advocates and government regulators, made what appears to be the first political contributions to elected officials in the company's history.

Is Google using its purchasing power in politics?

November 12, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> As Google grows into the behemoth of personal computing that it apparently wants to become, the firm has apparently decided to get bigger in another realm: political influence.  </p>

Poor reporting, disclosure of medical malpractice in California

November 6, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

I haven’t yet had a chance to read the whole report, but a good executive summary from the <a href="http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/08/08-015.pdf">California Research Bureau says a lot about the state of physician discipline, medical malpractice</a>...

Taxpayers May Pay Legal Bills for Mortgage Execs

November 6, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON D.C. -- When the US government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers inherited more than bad debts.  They also potentially are responsible for tens of millions of dollars in legal fees for the executives a the center of the housing market's collapse. "Who'd have thought we might be on the hook for paying the defense costs when we're also paying the prosecution costs?" said Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a group that has been critical of the financial bailout packages. "To defend the economy from the havoc that's been created, we're going to defend the havoc creators?"