Consumer Watchdog’s press release follows, verbatim:
Consumer Watchdog today sent Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) a 32-page report detailing how Google has inappropriately, benefited from its close ties to the Obama Administration, including how NASA’s Moffett Airfield, near Google’s world headquarters, has been turned into a taxpayer-subsidized private airport for Google executives used for corporate junkets.
A growing fleet of jets and helicopters stand ready to ferry the company’s top executives near or far, for business or pleasure, for vacations or schmoozing, including at least three wintertime trips to the Caribbean and a trip by Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to the Cannes Film Festival. Humanitarian groups, by contrast, have been denied access to the airport.
Consumer Watchdog asked the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to investigate the relationship between Google Inc. and the US government as well as the Wi-Spy incident, and to call CEO Eric Schmidt to testify under oath.
In a letter to Issa, Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdog president and John M. Simpson, Inside Google Project director, wrote:
“An investigation by the committee of Google’s relationship to the Administration is particularly timely now in light of the way the Federal Trade Commission closed its probe of the Wi-Spy incident, and the Department of Justice’s current review of the pending acquisition of ITA Software.”
Read the full report here: http://macdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/googgovfinal012411.pdf
Read the letter to Rep. Issa here: http://macdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ltrissa012411final.pdf
The report, Lost in the Cloud: Google and the US Government, is drawn from records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and interviews. It found that Google’s ambitious quest for influence with the government is starting to pay off. Among other issues raised by the report are:
• Google’s close ties with the Obama White House have raised concerns about possible special treatment or conflicts of interest at the Department of Homeland Security, the US Patent & Trademark Office, the Federal Communications Commission and NASA.
• Officials at both DHS and the FCC have raised pointed concerns about weak privacy protections in Google products and whether Google’s well-documented difficulties with privacy protection could create big problems for federal agencies that use its services. Nonetheless no-bid contracts have been given to Google.
• A secretive relationship with the National Security Agency. The search giant has a legitimate need to cooperate with the government’s mammoth and secretive code breaking agency in its efforts to defend the integrity of US computer networks. But NSA also has legal power to force Google to hand over the private information of its users. How Google executives handle this potentially conflicted relationship is largely unknown: neither Google nor the NSA are talking.
One of the most visible signs of Google’s clout, the report said, is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Moffett Airfield, near Google’s world headquarters. When a deal between NASA and top Google executives to use the base was first disclosed in 2007, it called for only four jets to use the base.
But newly released government records show that the Google executive fleet has now grown to six jets and two helicopters, while at least 40 Google employees hold security badges at the base and all of the planes are supplied with Department of Defense jet fuel.
While the deal was originally struck between Google and NASA in the name of scientific research by the Google fleet, NASA documents show that precious little research has occurred. According to a set of emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, a fighter jet bought by Google executives in 2008 to perform the research was still being reviewed for air-worthiness in mid-2010.
Meanwhile, flight records show that the other jets parked by Google executives at the NASA field are often used for junkets, vacations and schmoozing. These include at least three wintertime trips to the Caribbean and a trip by Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to the Cannes Film Festival, where he hobnobbed with Mick Jagger and Hollywood stars.
“Our report only reveals only part of the picture,” said the letter to Issa asking for an investigation. “The House Oversight & Government Reform Committee has subpoena power if necessary. We urge you to use all the tools at the committee’s disposal to reveal the extent of Google’s influence on the government and how the Internet giant has unfairly benefited.”
Consumer Watchdog’s letter also noted:
“Several executive agencies have responded in a severely guarded and limited fashion to Freedom of Information Act requests on significant issues involving Google that the public deserves to know more about.
“In addition, there has been insufficient federal action on Google’s “Wi-Spy” debacle in which its Street View cars gathered private data from Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.
“This is the largest wire tapping scandal in world history by one of America’s biggest and most powerful corporations, yet there has not been a single hearing on Capitol Hill. We respectfully submit that Google CEO Eric Schmidt should be asked to testify under oath so that the American public learns the truth about Wi-Spy.”
Consumer Watchdog has been working to protect consumers’ online privacy rights and educate them about the issues through its Inside Google Project. The goal has been to convince Google of the social and economic importance of giving consumers control over their online lives. By persuading Google, the Internet’s leading company, to adopt adequate guarantees, its policies could become the gold standard for privacy for the industry, potentially improving the performance of the entire online sector.
Source: Consumer Watchdog
T Mole’s new designation is government mule.
Obama and his ties with Google, Goldman Sachs, the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies, and the military industrial complex should be investigated.
Obama and his ties with Google, Goldman Sachs, the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies, and the military industrial complex should be investigated.
Balmer chewing on sour grapes
Funny, I could swear that in 2007 when those leases were signed and in 2008 when that fighter was purchased that George W. Bush was the President, and thus the Republicans were in charge of NASA.
What a wonderful piece of hypocrisy we have here.
Google could be nice… but actually it turns to become a plague! 🙁
The ignorant sheep still flock to the slaughterhouse in the form of free Goorgle services.
I mean why would voluntarily use a browser that tracks your activity and sends it to Google?
No limit to the stupidity of people.
Does Michelle know Berry is having an inappropriate relationship?
This needs to be investigated. But i would still like to know which oil executives wrote our oil policy with Dick Cheney 10 years ago.Ever notice how the price of gas has tripled since Bush and Cheney took office?
And the national debt doubled under them as well, in spite of a Republican Congress for 6 of his 8 years.
Funny how, when Consumer Reports says something nasty about the iPhone, it’s a vendetta according to the people who run MacDailyNews/
But when Consumer Watchdog says something about Google (which is quite regularly), it’s valid comment.
I guess you pick your consumer pressure group according to your own prejudices.
Google…just a bit more evil each day…
And what does this have to do with Apple?
It would be nice to know who funds Consumer Watchdog, and the other politicians they have gone after. The way laws are now corporations pay our leaders, not our taxes. Both parties have blame, and no real desire to change this.
However the deal is very Republican: they have privatized the airbase. Now the Air Force won’t be as dependent on the Federal Government for money. Maybe our next war won’t be over oil. Instead it will be over IP and the fastest ISP.
I don’t like Google the corp (I use some of their products – search, etc.) and if they’re guilty of any of these accusations they should be stopped and the taxpayers should be reimbursed.
On the other hand, from what I’ve seen/heard in numerous televised interviews and panel shows, Darrel Issa is, to be kind, an effing retard, (no offense, no need to be uncivil, etc.) Like Dvorak, Thurrott, and Enderle, he can’t always be wrong, can he?
This is a really dumb article. The agreement was made before there even was an Obama Administration and as long as Google is paying for the use of the airfield then the topic is moot.
Oh Issa is the guy to go to for consumer interests. Definitely
@uh huh
It is covered by MDN because they want to bash the Obama administration (inappropriately this time, since the deal was struck under the Bush administration).
@WetFX
Maybe the next war will be waged by the private sector…
The whole deal reeks of a strange mixture of interests:
also: DoD fuel on a Nasa airfield?
Why MDN posted this is beyond me. This site is not GDN.
As for the NASA deal, I have no issue with it. It is called a Host Tennent Agreement (HTA). The government does it at every installation when a contractor is permanently on site. It is how contractors pay for services, such as phone, fuel and transportation.
As for the planes not getting much government use, this too is a none issue. NASA owns a lot of planes that sit idle and get almost no flight time annually. Anyone who has been to DFRC and seen planes like Balls 8 knows what I am talking about. In this case, it is better that Google owns the planes and pays for the maintenance.
@vanfruniken
I missed the part where MDN “bashed” Obama, or anyone else.
Perhaps MDN should look beyond its attack dog mentality concerning Google.
Summary: A look beneath the surface reveals that ConsumerWatchdog.org is “the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights”, which is affiliated with/derived from Grassroots Enterprise, a Washington/SF-based AstroTurfer for hire
http://techrights.org/2009/05/04/consumer-watchdog-exposed/
BUSTED: Anti-Google Privacy Group Consumer Watchdog Is Tracking Your Clicks With Google Analytics
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/anti-google-privacy-group-consumer-watchdog-is-tracking-your-clicks-with-google-analytics-2010-9#ixzz1C416VcaI
Consumer ‘Watchdog’ Anti-Google Video Just Part Of A Stunt To Sell Books?
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100909/13433610955.shtml
… is supposed to “take action on” “Google’s “Wi-Spy” debacle in which its Street View cars gathered private data from Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.”? In the US, that I can see. Under what authority will it even question Google’s activities in 29 other countries? Unless they officially ask, that is.
aaplsaur, MDN wrote the headline and included this text: “Google has inappropriately, benefited from its close ties to the Obama Administration”. Both are inaccurate, given that the original deal was struck by the Bush Administration. Both impugn the integrity of the Obama Administration. Rep. Issa has shown himself to be a pedant and an anti-Democratic bigot. Thus, this is more about attempting to smear the Obama Administration, falsely!, than attacking Google.
That said, it IS “MDN’s” blog and he has a right to abuse it any way he sees fit. Regardless of fact or other consideration.
… is supposed to “take action on” “Google’s “Wi-Spy” debacle in which its Street View cars gathered private data from Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.”? In the US, that I can see. Under what authority will it even question Google’s activities in 29 other countries? Unless they officially ask, that is.
aaplsaur, MDN wrote the headline and included this text: “Google has inappropriately, benefited from its close ties to the Obama Administration”. Both are inaccurate, given that the original deal was struck by the Bush Administration. Both impugn the integrity of the Obama Administration. Rep. Issa has shown himself to be a pedant and an anti-Democratic bigot. Thus, this is more about attempting to smear the Obama Administration, falsely!, than attacking Google.
That said, it IS “MDN’s” blog and he has a right to abuse it any way he sees fit. Regardless of fact or other consideration.
I often play golf at both the Shoreline and Moffett field golf courses. They are both adjacent to the runways. Not only Google but other private planes have been using Moffett field airport for years. How does this become an Obama thing, and how does this become a subject for MDN? Could it just be that MDN is full of tea party folks. It often seems like it to me.
Maobama and the rest of you commies are pure evil. We will vote your Marxist asses out in 2012. Google is evil too hence the alliance.
Conservatives are taking the US back.
Wait a minute!!…. I thought Obama was a Nazi, Socialist, America hater!
Geez… these righties can’t make up their minds.