Consumer Watchdog | In The Media

Health Law Changes Rules For Docs With In-House Imaging Machines

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:08:16 PDT

Physicians Must Disclose If They Own CT, MRI or PET Scanners

Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a national consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, Calif., said the new disclosure requirement may eventually lead patients to think hard about the financial relationship their doctor has. But in the short term, he said, the law will have little impact. "People will still defer to the white coat."

States Get Funds to Boost Oversight of Health Insurance Premiums

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:57:00 PDT

The $1-million grants, which went to all but five states, will help many expand public access to information about rate hikes and hire experts to review proposed charges.

In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration specifically ruled out seeking prior approval authority. Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group, urged the administration to reject California's grant application, saying the grant would "prevent, not develop, any effective state regulation of health insurance rates." California nonetheless received its grant, which is to be used to streamline collection of data on proposed rate hikes.

Captive Life Agents May Face Selling Conflicts After Financial Reform

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:31:00 PDT

OLDWICK, N.J. -- Certain life insurance agents and broker-dealer firms could face increased legal liability depending on how the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission rules on the fiduciary standard pertaining to the sale of investment products. The concern among affected parties is the possible increased legal liability or financial penalties from the SEC if they don't meet the new standard, said Carmen Balber, director of the Washington, D.C. office of Consumer Watchdog.

ObamaCare's Loss Ratio Rules Are Out Of Balance, Critics Say

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:48:00 PDT

As part of ObamaCare, the federal government will impose strict new spending rules on health insurers. How it does so could have a sweeping impact on the industry and patient care. "We believe that insurance companies will get enough goodies out of the new "medical loss ratio" (MLR) law that they will not have to do business any differently," said Consumer Watchdog's Judy Dugan. "If a nursing line is something where a nurse can advise a patient on treatment, sure, that may be a medical expense. But if it is just to determine if a patient needs to see a doctor, that's just cost containment."

Smile! Aerial Images Being Used to Enforce Laws

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:50:00 PDT

The nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog is seeking to determine the extent of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration's use of Google Earth in its investigations, spokesman John M. Simpson said last week. Federal contracting records reviewed by Consumer Watchdog show that the FBI has spent more than $600,000 on Google Earth since 2007. The Drug Enforcement Administration, meanwhile, has spent more than $67,000. Simpson has called on Congress to investigate how U.S. law enforcement and intelligence communities are using Google technologies. The group says it has concerns that data could be used for racial profiling.

Health Insurance Limits Are Rising, If Regulators Approve

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:20:26 PDT

Insurers and employers say a generous waiver process is needed to avoid a sudden jump in premiums. But patient advocates, such as California-based Consumer Watchdog, warn against being too lenient. All sides are pressing their cases with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is writing the rules on the waiver process but has not specified what they will say or when they'll be in place. It's not clear yet whether waivers could continue after 2014. HHS said details on the process are under development, and declined to elaborate.

Consumer Groups Want Federal Investigation of Insurers' Medical Spending

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:15:28 PDT

Consumer advocates urged the Obama administration Thursday to investigate what they called an effort by large for-profit insurance companies to slash spending on medical care even as they raise premiums. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy said that insurers reported less medical spending in recent months ahead of new federal rules that will require the companies to do just the opposite starting next year.

3 On Your Side: DIRECTV Complaints

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:37:00 PDT

The nation's largest satellite TV service is getting some static. Consumers have now logged more than 40,000 complaints against DIRECTV on the Better Business Bureau's website. DIRECTV offers promotions like five months free or $29.99 a month. But some customers complain they're then surprised when charged extra fees for leasing equipment, special features and programming packages. Todd Foreman of the group Consumer Watchdog says to get out of DIRECTV's standard two year contract is expensive saying, "DIRECTV is charging up to $480 dollars for a cancellation fee."

Insurers Reign Over Rates -- Only 19 States Have 'Prior' Approval Over Medical Premiums

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:14:00 PDT

WASHINGTON, DC -- As Americans struggle with double-digit hikes in their health insurance bills, millions are coming up against a hard reality: The state regulators who are supposed to protect them can often do little to control what insurers are charging. Consumer advocates and administration officials are trying to spark new state efforts because the new healthcare law gives the federal government only limited power to regulate premiums, traditionally a state responsibility. The Obama administration plans to announce a series of $1-million grants next week to help states increase their oversight.

Santa Monica Consumer Group Alleges Google-Verizon Internet Plan Could Hinder Universal Internet Access

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:58:47 PDT

A Santa Monica-based consumer watchdog group this week decried a proposal by Google and Verizon Communications that it says would put an end to net neutrality and create a system of pay-to-play haves and have-nots when it comes to internet access.

California Should Regulate Health Care Premiums

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:07:00 PDT

Within a few years, 6 million uninsured California residents will finally get medical coverage as part of the newly passed federal health care reforms. But what will they pay? And who will regulate premiums as insurers angle for customers? Right now, Sacramento has little control over health care rates, largely because industry lobbyists have killed efforts to change a rules-free marketplace. According to the organization Consumer Watchdog, health insurance interests have given $800,218 over the last three years to members of the state Senate, where showdown votes on insurance controls are due this month.

Google Proposes Separate Rules for Wireless Web

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:54:00 PDT

Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. urged U.S. regulators to leave wireless Internet services outside most policies that are designed to prevent carriers from making some websites perform better than others. Consumer Watchdog, a consumer group based in Santa Monica, said the proposal "completely undermines the future of the Internet" because the wireless use of the Web is gaining in popularity.

Anger Greets Google-Verizon Plan for Routing Web Traffic

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:01:45 PDT

Proposal Would Let Internet Providers Favor Some Services

Smaller Internet companies wouldn't be able to keep pace. "Ultimately, consumers would pay the costs for the premium delivery, or worse, would never see the content of smaller companies," says John Simpson, director of advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. "Google claims it won't use premium channels for delivery, but not long ago they professed to defend true net neutrality."

Consumer Complaints, Lawsuits Target DIRECTV

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:46:00 PDT

Last year, Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group based in Southern California, filed a class action lawsuit against DIRECTV over its cancellation policies. Consumer Watchdog attorney Todd Foreman said the company can charge customers up to $480 to get out of their contracts.

State Makes It Tougher For Health Insurers To Cancel Policies

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:05:53 PDT

California's new rules let applicants say they're not sure or they can't remember the answer to a health history question. Federal health reform allows insurers to cancel a policy only if there was intent to deceive. Jamie Court directs the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog. "Having the double whammy of both the new federal rules and the state insurance commissioner's regulations, makes it very clear to insurance companies what they can and cannot do," said Court.

Google, Verizon Offer Internet Proposal

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:02:00 PDT

Google Inc. and Verizon Inc. in a joint conference call Monday spoke out against blocking, prioritizing or slowing down wired Internet traffic. Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog, however, said that while the new broadband proposal "pays lip service to the idea of net neutrality," it would actually "completely undermine the open and free Internet we enjoy." John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group, said there are two main problems with the proposal.

Illinois Insurance Regulators Want More Oversight

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:18:00 PDT

Illinois regulators will ask lawmakers for the authority to approve or deny health insurance rate increases, saying residents need protection from skyrocketing costs that aren't justified. The state's effort to push for more aggressive oversight is "a huge step forward," in protecting an estimated 3 million residents covered by state-regulated policies, said Carmen Balber, director of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that monitors how states regulate insurance rates. "We're talking about a product that in just a few years every American will have to have," Balber said. "With skyrocketing costs and mandatory coverage, regulators have to act to protect consumers from what would an unaffordable requirement."

Has Google Jumped the Shark?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:34:20 PDT

Milo Yiannopoulos Wonders if the Company's Glory Days Are Ancient History

Google has admitted to “accidentally” retrieving and storing masses of personal information, including snippets of emails, while trawling for public WiFi spots. The accidents occurred over a period of four years in 30 countries. Interpreting this bombshell charitably, we might say it was a major and avoidable blunder that cost the company a lot of good will and trust. But groups like Consumer Watchdog suggest that Google was just seeing what it could get away with, and that we wouldn’t know about it at all if they hadn’t got busted: “Its computer engineers run amok, push the envelope and gather whatever data they can until their fingers are caught in the cookie jar.”

States Implement Reforms of Healthcare as Lawsuits Proceed

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:04:41 PDT

The California-based nonprofit Consumer Watchdog made that point in a letter sent Tuesday to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urging her to reject Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) application for a rate review grant. The letter criticizes the governor’s application because California would use the money to hire actuaries to review rate filings without giving them the authority to reject rate requests. “I think the intent of the grants was specifically to enhance states’ ability to thoroughly evaluate and, where it can, to approve or disapprove rates,” said Carmen Balber, the group’s Washington director.

Watchers Fear Google Compromise on 'Net Neutrality'

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:12:00 PDT

SAN FRANCISCO — Online freedom advocates fear that Google is changing allegiance in the battle to stop Internet service providers from giving preferential treatment to those that pay. Nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog portrayed any compromise by Google on net neutrality as a betrayal. "Apparently Google redefines principles to suit the business need of the moment," said John Simpson, a consumer advocate with the group. "What Google and Verizon are trying to do is carve up the Internet behind closed doors for their own benefit."

The Next Health Reform Debate: What's an 'Unreasonable' Insurance Premium Hike?

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:42:42 PDT

Carmen Balber, director of the Washington office for Consumer Watchdog, an insurance industry critic that has been keeping close tabs on the law's implementation, said that increased public scrutiny has served to pull back some insurance companies. But, she said, that isn't enough. "There's only so much that shaming the industry will do," she said. What really needs to happen, she said, is for state regulators to get the resources and political power to investigate and crack down on unjustified rate hikes. "That's why the state grant program is so important," she said.

Google Teams Up with CIA to Fund "Recorded Future" Startup Monitoring Websites, Blogs & Twitter Accounts

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:53:00 PDT

Investors at the CIA and Google are backing a company called "Recorded Future" that monitors tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts in real time in order to find patterns, events and relationships that may predict the future. The news comes amidst Google’s so-called "Wi-Spy" scandal, that refers to revelations that Google’s Street View cars operating in some thirty countries snooped on private Wi-Fi networks over the last three years.

Health Insurance Rates: California Plans to Crack Down, But How Hard?

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:37:00 PDT

As an Aug. 31 deadline nears, state lawmakers haggle over how difficult it should be for companies to significantly raise premiums.

Consumer groups, meanwhile, say that allowing insurance companies to pick the actuaries who review their filings would give them too much influence over the process. "Insurance companies in California will be getting millions of new customers, and the least that Californians should get in return is strong oversight of rates and premiums," said Judy Dugan, research director for Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica. "Instead, the governor's proposal would prevent effective oversight."

The Hospital ER As Main Selling Point : Facilities Market Wait Times - And Prompt Concerns

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:14:00 PDT

Despite years of concern about crowded emergency rooms, many California hospitals have embarked on aggressively courting patients to their ERs – a nascent campaign that has raised concerns among healthcare advocates and providers. “It’s a good business decision if they’re targeting insured patients,” said Judy Dugan, director of research for Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group. “But it’s the opposite of what the healthcare system needs.” Dugan noted that many patients are charged co-payments and other fees they would not incur if they visited their primary care physician or an urgent care clinic.

Google WiFi Data Collection Questions Whether America Protects Privacy At All

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:37:00 PDT

According to a new poll from Consumer Watchdog a major part of Americans are very concerned about the privacy issues arousing from Google’s Street View data collection. Much covered reports about Google’s gathering private information from users’ WiFi networks make US consumers doubt in the efficiency of privacy protection measures implemented today, they want better privacy protections put in place.

Google Users Concerned About WiSpy But Still Prefer Google

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:40:43 PDT

Web consumers are concerned about Google's collection of data over wireless networks, but still give the search engine and Web services provider a favorable rating of 74 percent. That's the latest from a poll conducted by Google watchers Consumer Watchdog and Grove Insight, which also found citizens are concerned about their privacy.

House Dems Block White House Witness in Google Email Breach

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:20:00 PDT

At the hearing, a consumer watchdog testified that he believed the White House was too cozy with Google, and the company’s lobbying interests. “I do think that Google specifically has perhaps too close a relationship with the government,” said John Simpson, director of the Stem Cell Project. “I think Mr. McLaughlin’s appointment is one of those ties that are inappropriate.”

Is National Security Behind Google's Wi-Fi Spying?

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:31:48 PDT

Has search and advertising giant Google been tracking you just to sell you stuff -- or is it because the U.S. government asked it to? A congressional hearing later today may raise more questions than answers. "Is there some relationship between Google and the NSA (National Security Agency)?" asked Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. "Was this data shared with intelligence agencies in America? It's a question. We just want a straight answer."

Multi-State Probe Into Google WiFi Incident Announced

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:50:54 PDT

Consumer Watchdog, a group that has been critical of Google on multiple fronts, praised the state effort but again urged Congress to hold a hearing on the issue. “Just as the CEO of BP was asked to explain the Gulf oil spill to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, so should Google CEO Eric Schmidt be required to testify about the gross intrusion into consumers’ privacy,” John Simpson, the group’s consumer advocate, said in a statement.

Google Lobbying Spending Nearly Doubles, $1.34M Spending Focused on Privacy

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:04:14 PDT

This past quarter, Google spent $1.34 million on Washington lobbyists, an increase of 41% over last year’s spending during the same period. That brings the company’s lobbying money up to $2.72 million for the first half of 2010, according to Consumer Watchdog. With all that spending, who and what is Google trying to influence?

Update: Consumer Watchdog Will Testify at Thursday Web 2.0 Hearing

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:25:31 PDT

The House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Information Policy has reversed itself and invited John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog to testify at Thursday’s hearing on federal agencies’ use of Web 2.0 technologies. The invitation to Simpson is dated Tuesday, one day after a subcommittee staff member informed Republican lawmakers that the hearing would feature only one panel of all government witnesses. Simpson is the lead advocate on Consumer Watchdog’s Google Privacy and Accountability Project and has been a harsh critic of the search giant in the past. He was also the only witness requested by Republican lawmakers.

Insurers Want The Calls To Go Through

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:33:42 PDT

Health-care Overhaul May Threaten Popular Disease Management Programs

Even supporters of disease management programs worry that the rules being drafted will prove too loose, prompting insurers to lump in all sorts of programs that are at best unproven and at worst actually administrative in nature. "You cannot trust the insurance industry to police itself. You have to watch them like a hawk," said Judy Dugan, research director of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. At a minimum, said Dugan, disease management programs run by insurers should be accredited by an independent organization.

For Heart Surgery, Head for the Border?

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:35:00 PDT

Walker saved almost $100,000 on his heart surgery. But Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog say there's no way to know how safe these procedures are. Judy Dugan: I mean, the medical facilities can look gorgeous, the doctor's credentials can look good, but really, you can't tell. Dugan agrees that the choice is up to consumers, but as domestic health care costs continue to climb and companies try to save money, that might soon change.

Rivals Say Google Has Too Much Sway Over Administration's Net Neutrality Policy

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:44:08 PDT

Internet service providers cite e-mails between onetime Google executive Andrew McLaughlin, who now works for the White House, and his former colleagues as the FCC prepares to rewrite the rules governing broadband.

McLaughlin's e-mails were obtained through a public records request filed by Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica nonprofit advocacy group, and were first reported on by The Hill, a Washington newspaper. John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said the e-mails suggested that Google, an Internet behemoth with $23.7 billion in annual revenue, had too cozy of a relationship with the White House. "You have to sort of wonder, well, how many times did Alan Davidson pick the phone up and have a conversation with McLaughlin?" Simpson said. "It shows an attitude and connection that seems to me to be ongoing and inappropriate."

Financial Reform Will Mean Changes

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:00:16 PDT

Reporting requirements will give consumers more details on loans, mortgages.

It may be quite a while before consumers feel the effects of the newly passed federal financial reform legislation. A few things are fairly certain. Consumers can expect clearer documentation on short-term loans, mortgages and other financial instruments and by 2012 there will be a watchdog agency within the Federal Reserve dedicated to protecting consumers from unscrupulous practices in the financial industry. "Currently, if you feel your bank is ripping you off, no one has any idea where to turn," said Carmen Balber, Washington director of Consumer Watchdog. The new agency, he said, will be able to collect complaints and address their cause: "People will be spurring … broader reform."

U.S. Health Reform Spurs Battles in States Over Premium Rate Increases

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:38:00 PDT

OLDWICK, N.J. --Since the passage of U.S. health care reform, battles have erupted in some states between insurance commissioners and health insurers over double-digit premium rate increases sought by insurers on members in their individual and small group health plans. With more talk at the federal level about the need for oversight of excessive rates, insurance commissioners are interested in showing that they are acting to protect consumers, said Carmen Balber, director of the Washington, D.C. office for Consumer Watchdog. Insurance departments are scrutinizing premium rates because consumers "have reached their breaking point," said Balber. Complaints are rolling into departments from consumers who cannot pay "the outrageous prices" insurers are charging, she said.

Senate Passes Financial-Reform Bill

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:50:17 PDT

Obama Plans to Sign Measure; GOP Leader Vows Repeal Try

Both banking groups and their consumer and labor adversaries vowed to keep lobbying during the regulatory process to get the results they want. "The fight will continue for stronger regulation, including stricter limits on bank size and leverage to ensure no bank will ever again be deemed 'too big to fail,' " said Carmen Balber, Washington director for Consumer Watchdog. She called the bill "a critical first step toward reversing the deregulatory excesses that culminated in the 2008 financial collapse."

John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog, on Google's Political Influence and "Misguided Motto"

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:19:24 PDT

As Google grows in size, so does its political influence. And, while this may not overly worry most people, there is one man who is keeping a close watch on the search engine firm. He is Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson, and one gets the feeling that he revels in his role of giant-killer.

Google's Washington Influence Is Spreading, Some Say Too Much

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:56:09 PDT

This man is Andrew McLaughlin. A former Googler–he was their Head of Public Policy–he’s been hired by the Obama...

Google Under Investigation

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:42:09 PDT

Consumer Watchdog's Inside Google, an investigative branch of Watchdog, has completed an investigation on the data collection practices of Google. It appears that the vehicles taking pictures for the Google Street View application on Google Maps have been also been scanning local wireless networks. Now members of Congress are pushing congressional hearings based on what they've found.

Insurers Shift Focus to Health Reform Rules

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:24:00 PDT

Carmen Balber, director of the Washington office for Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group that has been highly critical of the insurance industry and is closely tracking implementation of the health reform law, concurred. "This regulation was one of the most concrete steps that Congress took to rein in costs for consumers," she said. "The idea here was to ensure that insurers spend more on patient care and less on overhead and profit."

Union Chief Makes Nurses a Political Force

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:29:00 PDT

SUNDAY PROFILE: Rose Ann DeMoro

Harvey Rosenfield, founder of Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica, warned that DeMoro "has no fear. She is a warrior. ... You combine those qualities - knowing how to fight, being unafraid and uncompromising - and you have a unique individual in American politics." Someone who learned that lesson, Rosenfield said, was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became a target of nurses' protests in 2005 when he attempted to roll back nurse-patient ratios in the state.

Big Money from Special Interests Attempts to Sway Three Local Elections

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:44:00 PDT

Without directly revealing their involvement, major industries and organizations play key roles in legislative contests.

Voters may not have been aware that insurance companies, lawyers and other interests were calling most of the shots in the three campaigns. The California Senior Advocates League, which paid for attack ads in two of the three contests, received money from JobsPAC, which is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce, and Put California Back to Work, a committee sponsored by the Civil Justice Assn. of California. Both groups' members and contributors are mostly big corporations. Doug Heller, executive director of the Santa Monica nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, said the league's name gives the impression that the candidates' support is coming from "an authentic campaign by seniors."

Oz Privacy Boss Says Google Wi-Fi Slurp Breached Law

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:28:00 PDT

Watchdog: US Congresspeople Were Slurped (Maybe)

In an effort to spur a Congressional investigation in the States, the consumer watchdog known as Consumer Watchdog has retraced Street View's past Washington D.C. routes and found that various members of Congress have open Wi-Fi networks whose data may have been lifted by the Google cars. The watchdog wrote a letter to Representative Jane Harman, chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment and a former ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, telling her that Google may have lifted her personal info.

Consumer Group Sniffs Congresswoman's Open Wi-Fi

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:10:37 PDT

We’re not sure what’s more humorous: That California Rep. Jane Harman, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, maintains two unencrypted Wi-Fi networks at her residence, or that a consumer group sniffed her unsecured traffic in a bid to convince lawmakers to hold hearings about Google.

Google Steet View Privacy Controversy Touches Congress

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:29:00 PDT

Consumer Watchdog accuses Google of breaching the home WiFi networks of prominent lawmakers as part of its Google Street View snafu. To bolster its point, the group conducted some so-called wardriving to see if it could find unencrypted networks. In doing so, however, some say Consumer Watchdog went too far.

Comcast to Hike Rates Across Marin

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:08:00 PDT

Comcast is boosting the price of cable TV and Internet service in Marin County and the rest of Northern California, where 2.3 million customers face bills almost 4 percent higher next month. Consumer advocates chided Comcast for hiking the basic rate by a higher percentage than other programs. "For most people, cable is the way they get their television," said John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog. "They ought to have some responsibility to make that basic service as affordable as possible."

Google Removes WiFi Gear from Street View Cars

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:56:43 PDT

Google has removed any equipment used to collect WiFi data in its Street View cars, which have resumed their tours of Sweden, Ireland, Norway and South Africa at the approval of regulators.

Meanwhile, Consumer Watchdog said July 8 that Google's WiSpy snooping could have sucked up and recorded communications from members of Congress. The consumer advocacy group said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., chair of the Intelligence Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee, has at least one wireless network in her Washington, D.C., home that could have been breached by Google.

Google Downplays Claim It May Have Breached Lawmakers' Home Networks

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:41:00 PDT

Consumer Watchdog finds unprotected network at U.S. Rep.’s home that appears on Google Street View

Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based advocacy group that has been a sharp critic of Google’s privacy practices in the past, said Thursday that the search giant may have breached the networks while its vehicles were collecting wireless SSID information for the company’s Street View service.

Google Accused of US "Snooping"

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:28:00 PDT

Google’s popular Street View project may have collected personal information of members of Congress, including some involved in national security issues.

The claim was made by leading advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog which wants Congress to hold hearings into what data Google’s Street View possesses.