FTC Accuses Google Of Manipulating Search Results To Favor Own Businesses

How Google Skewed Search Results

 

 

 

 

” A previously undisclosed report by staffers at the Federal Trade Commission reveals new details about how Google Inc. manipulated search results to favor its own services over rivals’, even when they weren’t most relevant for users.

  In a lengthy investigation, staffers in the FTC’s bureau of competition found evidence that Google boosted its own services for shopping, travel and local businesses by altering its ranking criteria and “scraping” content from other sites. It also deliberately demoted rivals.

The report’s insight into Google’s business practices is still relevant as Google expands its own offerings. Just this month, it launched a search tool for car-insurance quotes, which competes with similar tools offered by Allstate Corp.’s Esurance, among others. It has beefed up hotel listings that compete with TripAdvisor Inc. and Expedia Inc.”

 

 

    Gee , is anyone really surprised that Google manipulates the search results of it’s users ? If ever there was a monopoly that could use a little trust-busting … and remember , this is coming from the corporation that wants to rank it’s search results by “truthiness” …  Continue reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Free Android “Brightest Flashlight” App Secretly Tracks User Location

Millions Of Android Users ‘Deceived’ By Flashlight App That Shares Location With Advertisers

 

 

 

” An Android developer has agreed to settle charges with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over a free flashlight app that has been “deceiving” users. Brightest Flashlight Free, available in the Google Play store, has been downloaded over 50 million times, but a complaint from the FTC reveals that the seemingly innocent app transmits “precise location” data to third-party advertisers alongside a unique device identifier. The FTC says an option to prevent the location-sharing “deceived consumers,” as the data was automatically shared before users could disable it.”

 

 

 

    Brightest Flashlight should be pilloried for this sneaky method of doing business but the real story is the hypocrisy of a government agency (FTC) that pretends to defend our rights to privacy while other agencies (NSA) render that effort fruitless . As much as we detest the fact that the flashlight app helps track people , the fact that the NSA tracks EVERYONE who has a cell phone whether it is powered up or not makes the FTC’s efforts nothing more than a steaming pile of bull***t .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Are Private Companies Gathering About You …

… Then Sharing?

 

 

 

 

 

” Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, is expanding his probe to discover the practices and scope of the multi-billion dollar industry trading personal details about consumers.

In October 2012, Rockefeller launched an investigation into the data-brokerage industry by asking nine major data brokers about their business practices. The responses from the companies showed that some websites share consumer information gathered by Web surveys, sweepstakes, and questionnaires.

He said, however, that several major brokers have refused to tell his committee about some of their consumer data sources.”

 

 

 

 

” Rockefeller recently announced his plan to “take a closer look” into the data-brokerage industry. He sent letters to 12 websites focused on personal finance, health, and family issues, asking them to explain their privacy policies, including whether they share consumer data with third parties. The senator requested these websites answer those questions by Oct. 11.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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