senator

Facebook Not Sleepless in Seattle

Tricia Duryee in Social on April 12 at 6:00 pm PT

Now that the ribbon has been cut and the finger sandwiches have been devoured, Facebook’s new Seattle office is open for business.

Google Loses Longtime Lobbyist (Updated)

John Paczkowski in News on November 7, 2011 at 4:15 pm PT

Alan Davidson, Google’s longtime director of public policy and government affairs, is taking a sabbatical to “explore other opportunities.”

Google’s Schmidt at Senate Antitrust Hearing: Eric “Gets It!”

Kara Swisher in News on September 21, 2011 at 11:03 am PT

Google faces the antitrust music in Washington, D.C.

Facebook’s New Privacy Settings an Improvement Over the Old–Which Isn’t Saying Much

John Paczkowski in Social on May 26, 2010 at 4:20 pm PT

Announcing Facebook’s newest set of privacy controls this morning, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “We are really going to try to not have another backlash.” If backlash is the metric for evaluating the company’s approach to member privacy, it seems to have done okay, at least at this early juncture. Within hours of Facebook’s announcement of new privacy controls, four of its most outspoken critics weighed in on them. And all had positive things to say.

U.S. Senators Tell EU to Approve Oracle-Sun Deal…Typical Americans

John Paczkowski in News on November 25, 2009 at 6:01 am PT

With Sun Microsystems beginning to founder as it awaits European Commission clearance of its acquisition by Oracle, a group of U.S. senators is urging the European Commission to speed up its approval of the deal. In an open letter, the group essentially tells European regulators to “get on with it,” warning that further delay could result in additional layoffs at Sun.

Two Years and 30,000 Complaints Later, FTC Finally Busts Car Warranty Robocallers [UPDATED]

John Paczkowski in News on May 18, 2009 at 8:46 am PT

After more than one billion unsolicited calls and some 30,000 complaints–one from Senator Charles E. Schumer–the Federal Trade Commission is finally going after companies responsible for those supremely annoying car warranty robocalls. You know the ones I’m talking about, I’m sure. They’ve been occurring since 2007 and go something like this: “This is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire.” Hang up and the machine calls you again later. Transfer to a “warranty specialist” and ask to be taken off the call list and you’re either hung up on or, in my case, given an 800 number to call that turns out to be a phone sex line.

Odd, the Parental Controls on Sen. Kohl's Copy of IE Have Been Set to Block YahooGoogleFacts.com

John Paczkowski in News on October 3, 2008 at 8:55 am PT

With a Department of Justice ruling on Google’s advertising partnership with Yahoo expected by late next week, a key legislator is urging further scrutiny of the deal. In a letter to the DOJ, Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, encouraged it to monitor the Google-Yahoo deal, even if the agency signs off on it.

Odd, the Parental Controls on Sen. Kohl’s Copy of IE Have Been Set to Block YahooGoogleFacts.com

John Paczkowski in News on October 3, 2008 at 8:55 am PT

With a Department of Justice ruling on Google’s advertising partnership with Yahoo expected by late next week, a key legislator is urging further scrutiny of the deal. In a letter to the DOJ, Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, encouraged it to monitor the Google-Yahoo deal, even if the agency signs off on it.

Serves You Right for Using Yahoo Mail …

John Paczkowski in News on September 17, 2008 at 1:43 pm PT

What an ugly week for the digital GOP. First, John McCain’s domestic policy adviser conjures up a PR disaster by crediting the senator with the development of the Blackberry–odd, since McCain’s not exactly a digital native. Then former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina says U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s not qualified to run HP. And now, Palin’s Yahoo email account has been hacked and its contents published to Wikileaks. What an astonishingly tech-savvy presidential ticket.