Consumer Watchdog challenges Google-FTC privacy settlement

22.08.2012
Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, is dialing up its criticism of the proposed privacy settlement between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Google.

The group, which blasted the settlement when it was announced two weeks ago, has now filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, which is tasked with approving or rejecting the proposed deal.

For the motion, Consumer Watchdog has enlisted the help of well-known attorney Gary Reback, whose work had a big influence in the U.S. Justice Department's decision to sue Microsoft in the late 1990s in what became a landmark antitrust case.

Consumer Watchdog maintains that the court shouldn't approve the settlement because it allows Google to deny any wrongdoing, an objection that is also shared by FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch, who voted against the agreement, arguing that without an admission of guilt from Google the settlement isn't in the public interest.

The , filed by Reback and his Carr & Ferrell colleague Robert Yorio on behalf of the group, asks Judge Susan Illston to grant Consumer Watchdog friend-of-the-court status and allow it to file briefs opposing the settlement. Consumer Watchdog also wants the judge to hold a hearing on the proposed settlement and allow it to participate.

"We ask that the Court take the opportunity to establish a briefing schedule commensurate with the importance of this case. The parties provided no briefing to the Court at the time they filed these motions. Other courts, in similar circumstances, have required the parties -- the FTC, in particular -- to fully brief the numerous important issues before the Court, including, principally, how the 'public interest' standard is satisfied by the FTC's actions," the motion reads.