ConsumerWatchdog.org

A Santa Monica, California-based nonprofit group that advocates for consumers is calling for the Internet’s search and ad leader to change the way it records users’ information. Officials with Consumer Watchdog say they want to see Google Inc. store personal search data for less than its current nine months, following Yahoo!’s lead, and also to give users a choice to “opt out” out of data retention, as some other search engines do.

The U.S. average drops 4 cents in the last week to $1.613 a gallon. California's average climbs 0.4 cent to $1.810. Some groups blame refiners for a reduction in stockpiles.

The increase has caused concern among groups such as Consumer Watchdog, which blamed California refiners for a sharp drop in stockpiles of the higher grade gasoline required to meet the state's air pollution thresholds. The Santa Monica advocacy group said the refiners were seeking increased profits by sending more of their output to other states.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- A self-described anti-big-business group is calling on President-elect Barack Obama and Energy Department designee Steven Chu to step up regulation of the oil and refining industries as part of efforts to stabilize the economy and shift to greener energy. Citing a poll conducted in early December by a Caravan Opinion Research and Grove Insight, the California-based group wrote to the new administration claiming Americans favor more regulation of the oil and refining industries by a two-to-one margin.

SACRAMENTO, CA -- California's need to borrow billions to handle its basic government expenses in a soured credit market is costing taxpayers millions of dollars in heightened bank fees. "Big banks seem to find a lot of ways to gouge the taxpayers," said Doug Heller of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based consumer advocacy group. "Between overcharging us for their bank work and then asking for free money in the form of massive bailouts, it's like they're getting us coming and going."

Last month, Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed former state Sen. Carole Migden to a $132,000-a-year seat on the waste-management board, an obscure panel that many critics say serves chiefly as a landing spot for out-of-work politicians. Ms. Migden, a Democrat, was trounced in her bid for re-election following a series of scandals including being fined $350,000 for state campaign-finance violations. "It's become a senior-fellow program for favored legislators," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a public-advocacy group based in Santa Monica.

A plan to allow Americans to buy into Medicare before turning 65 would do a better job of lowering costs and expanding health coverage than private insurance, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office. "The report emphasizes an important point for policy-makers to keep in mind as they grapple with fixing our nation's health care: Medicare provides more affordable coverage because it eliminates the water and profiteering of the private market," Consumer Watchdog spokesman Jerry Flanagan said in a news release.

In one of his final acts as insurance commissioner, Matt Denn fined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware $150,000 on Wednesday for improperly disclosing the private medical information of about 3,800 Delaware members. Abuse is possible, even without Social Security numbers, said Judy Dugan, research director for Consumer Watchdog, a California-based nonprofit organization that protects the interests of consumers.

Consumer advocacy group calls for Google to adopt an easy zero day data retention "opt out" provision
One consumer advocacy group is making waves by demanding the internet's largest information gatherer -- Google -- give users an easy way of opting out of data collection entirely.  Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court and Policy Advocate John M. Simpson sent a letter to Google, asking that the company allow users a way to block Google from gathering information on users' search queries, IP addresses and cookies.

“That's the big problem with COBRA,” says Flanagan. “And that's why we need health reform so badly. COBRA is good, in that it helps people from being uninsured. But it is so expensive many people can't afford it. “