Federal Trade Commission Posts
Bloomberg: FTC Investigating Google’s Display Advertising Tactics
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Nearly five months after concluding a previous probe of Google’s anti-competitive practices in search and search advertising, the Federal Trade Commission has opened a new investigation into whether Google is using its lead in the $17.7 billion U.S. display advertising market to undermine competition, according to a report from Bloomberg. The probe, which Bloomberg reports Read more »
FTC Chairwoman: Google’s Voluntary Agreement Not Precedent; Search Bias Pro-competitive Though It Harms Competitors
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Many were disappointed with the Federal Trade Commission’s and Google’s unprecedented voluntary agreement in January on advertising data and the “scraping” or excerpting of content from sites like Yelp. Now, it seems, the chairwoman of the FTC is apparently dismissing the agreement as a one-time deal that other companies should not expect. Additionally, the newly Read more »
Politico Pro: Rosch Wanted to Sue Google for Deceptive Practices
Thursday, January 10th, 2013
Politico Pro reported today that there is more to the story of the Federal Trade Commission’s disappointing decision to not address Google’s deceptive and anti-competitive practices in a meaningful way. J. Thomas Rosch, the outgoing FTC commissioner who often was the swing vote on the commission, told Politico Pro he sought to sue Google for Read more »
New York Times Editorial: Google’s Bias Could “Result in Fewer Choices for Consumers”
Monday, January 7th, 2013
In a series of reported stories and a strong unsigned editorial, The New York Times has vividly illustrated the faults with the Federal Trade Commission’s disappointing ruling in its antitrust investigation of Google. In a Jan. 4 editorial, the Times said the ruling “does not completely settle the question of whether the company, which is Read more »
European Commission, AGs Have Final Word, Not FTC
Friday, January 4th, 2013
As the dust settles after the Federal Trade Commission’s disappointing announcement of its settlement with Google, it is clear that the FTC will not have the last word in determining whether Google’s practices are illegal, and whether the company will have to change them. Google is expected to make a formal, detailed proposal to the Read more »
Does Google Harm Consumers? Bloomberg Editors Say ‘Yes’
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
Today the Federal Trade Commission issued the disappointing decision to pass on compelling Google to end its anti-competitive search manipulation practices that favor the prominent display of its own products. Rather, the FTC and Google agreed for the search giant to end other anti-competitive practices, largely through a voluntary agreement that lacks the kind of Read more »
Jones Harbour: FTC Should Address Google Search Bias
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
Pamela Jones Harbour, a former Federal Trade Commission commissioner, today penned an opinion piece in The New York Times urging the agency to take on Google’s practice of promoting its own products in search results. Jones Harbour mentioned reports that the FTC might forgo action on Google’s search bias in exchange for “some modest changes Read more »
FTC Must Protect America’s Consumers, Innovators
Monday, December 17th, 2012
A statement from FairSearch.org: “It’s vital that the FTC live up to its mission of ‘protecting America’s consumers’ by taking a strong, legally binding enforcement action to permanently end Google’s biased display of search results and other harmful abuses of monopoly power that threaten to reduce consumer choice and innovation in Internet services. Enforcement authorities should not Read more »
FairSearch: European Commission, US Have the Evidence, Time to Act is Now
Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
In July, news of technical talks between Google and Joaquín Almunia, vice president of the European Commission and the commissioner responsible for competition, suggested the search giant was finally willing to concede it must change its anti-competitive practices to avoid a finding it is violating the law. In September, Almunia suggested that Google needed to offer Read more »
Fair Search Results Key To Restoring Competition Online
Monday, November 12th, 2012
With the Federal Trade Commission and European Commission nearing the end of investigations into Google’s anti-competitive practices, it is important to emphasize that requiring the fair and unbiased display of search results on Google is a key desired outcome. The FTC and EC are investigating the lawfulness of many of Google’s practices, including unfair treatment Read more »
