Google’s anti-privacy bill push sparks outrage among advertisers
Advertisers reject Google's campaign against California's privacy bill saying businesses should build consent-driven customer relationships.
Topic: Lobbying
Google’s local rebrand prompts SMB support amid antitrust lawsuits, says local SEO expert
If you work with SMBs and they received the notification, there's a chance they may be worried about how laws and resulting changes will affect their businesses.
European publishers accuse Google and Facebook of ‘plundering’ their content
Publishers and media companies have stepped up lobbying for a restrictive copyright law that would effectively create 'link taxes.'
Yelp-led group’s new video appeals to Google employees to advocate for internal change
Video makes argument that Google is doing anti-competitive things in local search results.
Microsoft Pulls Funding For Anti-Google Lobbying Group FairSearch
According to a report in Re/Code appearing last week, Microsoft has pulled financial support from FairSearch, an anti-Google “watchdog” or lobbying group that has been at the forefront of advancing European antitrust moves against the company. We sought comment from Microsoft when the report appeared, but the company declined to respond. The FairSearch site lists […]
German Newspaper Publisher Trying To Bring Failed “Google Tax” To All Of Europe
Disruptive technologies are often met with lobbying efforts to block them by vested interests trying to preserve the status quo. One such example is the unsuccessful effort by taxi companies to use the law to hold back Uber’s advance, especially in Europe. Another is the European newspaper industry’s efforts to boost sagging revenues with strict […]
WSJ Report Suggests Intervention In FTC’s Google Investigation By White House
Article asserts Google lobbying affected agency's decision in antitrust case.
Is Google’s European Antitrust Settlement In Jeopardy?
Widespread dissatisfaction among public and political figures with the existing antitrust settlement between Google and the European Commission appears to be putting the settlement in danger. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the run up to this week’s European Parliament elections saw an increase in “rhetoric against the settlement with Google.” The article depicts an […]
SearchCap: SSL Ranking Boost, Cortana Compared & Google’s Lobbying Efforts
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google’s Matt Cutts Explains How Google Search Handles 404 & 410 Status Codes Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, posted a video today explaining the difference in how Google handles […]
Report: Google Now Master Of Lobbying, Backroom Dealing
An article in the Washington Post asserts that Google has now become a master lobbyist and behind-the-scenes manipulator in Washington. It details the company’s increase in campaign contributions and outreach efforts to influence legislators. The message of the lengthy article is that Google is now buying influence and policy outcomes that favor the company. Source: […]
Report: Google Close (Again) To EU Antitrust Settlement
The third time may be the charm. According to Reuters Google is (once again) “close to settling a three-year antitrust probe by European regulators after it offered ‘much better’ concessions” to the European Commission (EC). However Google has been here before. Two previous antitrust settlements were strenuously opposed and thus defeated by Google critics and competitors. […]
FTC: We’ll Decide On Google-Antitrust Action By End Of Year
Speaking at an antitrust symposium sponsored by Georgetown Law School in Washington DC, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said that the commission was “on track” to decide on whether or not to pursue an antitrust case against Google “by the end of the year.” In other words: after the election — not that a decision would […]
FairSearch.org Introduces Anti-Google “Good To Know” Ad Campaign
FairSearch.org, a consortium of companies that originally came together to oppose the Google acquisition of ITA and includes Tavelocity, Microsoft and TripAdvisor among others, has added several new members to its ranks and launched an anti-Google print-ad campaign. Entitled “Good to Know,” the ads seek to expose “truths” about Google and its alleged conflicts of […]
In Europe Google Discovers All Politics Is Local Too
The NY Times reports on Google’s charm (and spending) offensive in Europe to try seem less like an American intruder and more like a Europe-friendly purveyor of internet search and other services. Against the backdrop of an European Commission antitrust investigation and criticism from public officials and cultural figures alike, Google has been trying to […]
One Ex-Googler Leaves Obama’s Administration
Andrew McLaughlin, one of several former Google employees who joined the Obama admninistration, resigned last week as Obama’s number two tech expert. The news was first reported last week by Politico, which says McLaughlin was leaving to launch two start-ups. USA Today, however, reports today that McLaughlin isn’t sure what his future plans will include. […]
Google Increases Lobbying Spend
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is boosting spending on lobbying in Congress: Google spent $950,000 lobbying lawmakers, regulators and the White House on issues ranging from cloud computing to copyright in the second quarter, according to public lobbying disclosures. The sum tops the $880,000 it spent in the first quarter and represents a […]
Google Seeks Privacy Counsel With Gov’t Ties
Google Watch points out a job posting on the Google site for “Privacy Policy Counsel” based in Washington, DC. Given that Google is under much more pressure and scrutiny from the US Department of Justice these days, this kind of hire makes sense. Google is recognizing that it’s got to build direct relationships with legislators […]
Google Promotes New “Small Business Network”
Although it’s been around for a little while, Google is doing some promotion of its new “Small Business Network.” Believe it or not it’s a lobbying effort to represent small business interests in Washington DC and at the state level. It’s also a clever way to open a new direct communication channel with SMBs: Google’s […]
Why Do Lawyers From Utah Hate Search Ads?
Eric Goldman reports that Utah, for the third time, is trying to regulate keyword advertising by proposing new law. The first two times they failed, but they are hoping the third time will be a charm. This revised law proposal, HB 450, is trying to prevent registered marks as triggers for keyword advertising but specifically […]
Search Biz: Yahoo Earnings, Google Lobbying, Tech Stimulus, Best Places To Work & Making PCs ‘History’
Just like the US economy, things at Yahoo may get worse before they get better; the company reports earnings today at 5 p.m. Eastern. The general expectation is they’ll be down. Yahoo may have been hit hard by the weakness in online display advertising. And new CEO Carol Bartz will be on the hot seat […]
Wired: Monopoly, Microsoft And The Anti-Google ‘Conspiracy’
Wired offers a fascinating, if sensational, account of the “plot” by Microsoft, its allies and its operatives to sew discontent over Google’s proposed paid search deal with Yahoo: The Plot to Kill Google. The article presents Microsoft as the driving force, along with other allies, behind an effort to stop Google’s further dominance in search […]
Google Beefs Up Lobbying Efforts In DC And Among Advertisers To Support Paid Search Deal With Yahoo
An extensive piece in the NY Times from Sunday discusses the behind-the-scenes drama of the Google-Yahoo paid search deal and how Microsoft has worked to derail it. Consumer and advertiser groups have also expressed objections to the potential arrangement. Entitled “Google Learns Lessons in the Ways of Washington,” it further describes how the Mountain View […]
SearchBiz: Corn Farmers Oppose GoogleHoo; Online Ad Spending In Trouble?; McCain Campaign Upset With YouTube Takedowns
Roll Call this week lays out the current state of the Google-Yahoo advertising deal, and says Microsoft is exercising “its considerable political clout” in Washington, DC, against Google. The article portrays Microsoft as aggressively using its in-house and outside lobbyists to rally public and private support against the deal. And, get this, one of the […]
Mr. Search Marketer Goes To Congress (Part 2)
Going to Washington, D.C. to represent our industry to Congress was a great honor and the highlight of my career as an online marketer. It happened so fast, I never really had time to think about it, and I’m glad I didn’t because I probably would have freaked out. We had fun, saw the sights, […]
The New Yorker On Google: Avoiding Regulation, Arrogance
Just before New Year’s, I published a fictional look at what might happen to Google if it was forced to breakup due to government regulation. In The Search Party this week from The New Yorker, there’s a nice long look by author Ken Auletta on how such efforts to regulate Google might be developing in […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, August 13, 2007
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Telecom Pundit Predicts FTC Blockage of Google-DoubleClick Deal
Microsoft’s acquisition of aQuantive was recently approved by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Yahoo completed its acquisition of ad exchange Right Media after a green light from the FTC. That just leaves Google-DoubleClick as the last major acquisition on the regulatory table. Now a telecom consultant, Scott Cleland, president of Precusor LLC, has […]
Google Sends Mr. Schmidt To Washington
Google Still Searching For Recognition in D.C. from the Washington Post covers how Google sent CEO Eric Schmidt to Washington yesterday. Schmidt had meetings with several important politicians and decision makers, but the article says Google’s still working to gain respect. The attention Google gets in the technology world and on Wall Street is the […]
Google Demanded North Carolina Stay Quiet
Google put pressure on legislators to stay quiet at WCNC-TV reports that during Google’s negotiations with North Carolina to house a huge server farm, lawmakers in North Carolina were pressured to keep quiet about Google’s tax break demands. State Commerce Secretary Jim Fain was told that if it was not kept quiet, Google would possibly […]