probe

News Byte

FTC Reportedly Prepping for Google Search Probe

Voices in Voices on April 29, 2011 at 3:58 pm PT

With the Justice Department’s wrestling match with Google over the ITA acquisition now wrapped up, it’s time for the Federal Trade Commission to jump into the ring. Sources tell Bloomberg the agency has alerted an assortment of tech companies to start gathering information for use in a probe of the search sovereign’s search sovereignty, a subject also of great interest in Europe.

Ohio, Wisconsin Mull Google Antitrust Outreach Programs

John Paczkowski in News on March 24, 2011 at 11:40 am PT

Google might want to consider hiring a state-level equivalent to that “Federal Policy Outreach Manager.” The company could soon face antitrust probes in both Ohio and Wisconsin. A spokesperson for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine tells Bloomberg that the AG’s office is “evaluating the facts” to determine if the search sovereign’s business practices merit a formal review. In Wisconsin, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is said to be mulling an investigation into Google’s proposed acquisition of flight information software company ITA, a deal that’s already drawn the scrutiny of the Department of Justice.

News Byte

Google, EU Reportedly in Antitrust Settlement Talks

Voices in News on February 7, 2011 at 10:32 am PT

Google has begun preliminary talks with European Union regulators in an effort to resolve an antitrust investigation that began in November, according to a source cited by Reuters today. The probe was launched after competitors charged that Google was using its dominant position in search to favor its own services in its result rankings.

Connecticut Won't Press for Google WiSpy Data, Looks to Settle

John Paczkowski in News on January 28, 2011 at 2:22 pm PT

Saying settlement talks are in the offing, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen won’t pursue his predecessor’s demand to review the consumer data inadvertently harvested by Google’s Street View cars.

Well, Hell, If I Knew All I Had to Do Was Seize the Hard Drives…

John Paczkowski in News on January 6, 2011 at 12:08 pm PT

Connecticut Attorney General Senator Richard Blumenthal must be beside himself. South Korea has managed to do what he so far has not: Analyze the consumer data harvested by Google’s Street View cars. And the results of that analysis do not bode well for the company’s relationship with the country.

Seventh Person Arrested in Insider Trading Probe

Arik Hesseldahl in Enterprise on December 29, 2010 at 12:17 pm PT

Another arrest of an expert consultant in the ever-widening FBI investigation into insider trading of tech companies.

Look, Sergey, a Christmas Card From the Connecticut AG! Wait…

John Paczkowski in News on December 10, 2010 at 11:37 am PT

Google’s amends for inadvertently harvesting consumer data with its Street View cars may have been good enough for the Federal Trade Commission, but not for Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal. Working with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, his office has issued a civil investigative demand, hoping to force the company to turn over the personal data it collected and to which it has so far refused him access.

Supply Data Now a Focus of Probe

Susan Pulliam, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 24, 2010 at 8:30 am PT

Has the “channel check” become a criminal act? Wall Street analysts have been left bewildered in recent days, as federal prosecutors begin to home in on insider-trading cases that appear to involve routinely published information about public-company supply chains. Case in point: Apple.

Google Street View Privacy Debacle Far From Over

John Paczkowski in News on November 10, 2010 at 3:38 am PT

The Federal Trade Commission may have closed its inquiry into the collection of user data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks by Google’s Street View cars, but the scrutiny continues–and now Google’s relationship with the White House is a target as well.

Labor Board Backs Worker Who Criticized on Facebook

Melanie Trottman, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 9, 2010 at 5:00 am PT

The National Labor Relations Board is taking a stand on employees’ rights to post negative comments about supervisors on social networking sites, alleging that a company illegally fired a worker for criticizing her boss on Facebook. The agency disclosed the complaint last week against ambulance service American Medical Response of Connecticut Inc.

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