Group Calls For Google Antitrust Probe 372
CWmike writes "Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog called on the DOJ to launch a broad antitrust investigation into Google's search and advertising practices and consider a wide array of penalties, including possibly breaking the company up (PDF). The watchdog, along with a mobile entrepreneur and two lawyers representing Google rivals, called for an investigation focusing on a number of issues, including Google's marriage of search results to advertising and its book search service. '...We think all remedies should be on the table, including, we think, the possible breakup of the Internet giant,' said John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog. Adam Kovacevich, senior manager for global communications and public affairs at Google, discounted the criticisms, saying Consumer Watchdog has been 'relentlessly negative' about Google. The group recently questioned the reasons why Google stopped censoring search results in China, and criticized Google's privacy Dashboard as inadequate, Kovacevich said."
Re:Apple behind this? (Score:1, Interesting)
I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is behind this. Which would be a severe case of the pot calling the kettle black.
If anyone needs to be broken up, it's MS, for collusion between their application software (esp. MS Office) and their OS, and their browser, and now they're trying to take over search from Google with "Bing".
Strange how this group complains about Google, but completely ignores MS.
Re:Pot Kettle Black? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Legitimate Scrutiny (Score:5, Interesting)
May be something, may be nothing - TradeComet's lawyer (one of the two lawyers in TFA) is from the same firm that does all of Microsoft's anti-trust work. It's tough to imagine such a firm would take on Google in an anti-trust case without at the very least getting Microsoft's blessing. It's not impossible though, MS may have nothing at all to do with it. It could all be coincidence.
Oh and TradeComet's anti-trust lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality - the judge ruled that the Adwords contract venue stipulation applied.
Also Google has a collections lawsuit pending with myTrigger.com (the other lawyer in TFA) for unpaid bills. That's funny, because this is all about sites being redirected away from legitimate business, but the only time one pays for Adwords is if someone clicked through.
Sounds like these guys are full of shit to me. There is a reason Google faces dozens of antitrust lawsuits every year, and there is a reason none of them go anywhere, even when there are high-powered law firms behind them. It's because they have no merit.
Re:Apple behind this? (Score:1, Interesting)
No one is saying Google, the search engine part, cant take advertising from other companies. Just that the entities should be separated, not the same company.
Google is still using the PageRank algorithm, but it's far from the only thing they're using. It's just a one factor. Can you imagine how spammy the results would be if it all was based on spidering and links?
I wasn't also talking about your prior search history, but all of the data combined. You're right, it's separate from which ads you get based on your prior search history. But all of the data combined they can use it to have a much more relevant search results than their competitors or new search engines can, just because of the mere amount of data they get.
Your alternative is actually quite good. The search engine and advertising should be separated. There's no reason why Google couldn't finance them that way too, and then the user data and algorithms would be separate.
Re:Legitimate Scrutiny (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm a bit of a fan of Google but I think this investigation should go ahead. I am confident that Google will not be found guilty, as you said this is not Microsoft, Google has a monopoly in search but unlike MS they don't use their dominant market position to crush competition or prevent new competitors from entering the market.
It's not just MS gunning for Google, Apple is doing it as well. Google represents the end of the Apple/MS business model if they are successful with Android and Chrome. Seeing as the EU hasn't even made a whimper about Google I doubt they have much to worry about.
Re:Breaking up companies (Score:4, Interesting)
Had the DoJ been doing its job in the first place a number of those deals would never have taken place. In fact, I doubt that MS would've been brought into court at all had the clowns running the DoJ during the early portion of this century been in charge.
Re:Legitimate Scrutiny (Score:1, Interesting)
I wouldn't call it an "other group". Who else would call themselves "Consumer Watchdog" besides a corporation's marketing department who hires lawyers specifically to attack the competition?
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Paint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Consumer Watchdog
Re:Apple behind this? (Score:3, Interesting)
Sopssa, you're an idiot.
I suspect that he's actually the single longest-running and most successful troll in the history of Slashdot, by far. I just can't explain being contradictive to Slashdot groupthink on every single point otherwise.
Re:Apple behind this? (Score:-1, Interesting)
Not really, I'm just expressing my opinion. And it looks like every negative comment about Google in this story got modded as -1 troll as well as anyone who defended them, even while they were sensible and just honest opinions. Way to go slashdot.