Google Hiring Twelve Lobbying Firms

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Google plans to hire twelve lobbying firms to deal with the Federal Trade Commission's anti-trust investigation. And you guys thought I was kidding when I said Google was going to be busy this summer with legal stuff!

Google said Friday it will hire a dozen new lobbying firms in a sign the search giant is taking the Federal Trade Commission’s upcoming antitrust investigation seriously. “We have a strong story to tell about our business and we’ve sought out the best talent we can find to help tell it,” said a Google spokesperson via email.
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I look forward to the day when the US is nothing but lobbyists, government employees and politicians. Surely a good lobbyist could talk the very earth into bearing fruit, right?
 
“We have a strong story to tell about our business and we’ve sought out the best talent we can find to help tell it,”
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I hear these "Google" people are doing some darned interesting things with electricity and magnetism. I look forward to hearing what that's all about.
 
GaryJohnson said:
I hear these "Google" people are doing some darned interesting things with electricity and magnetism. I look forward to hearing what that's all about.
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I heard they can already time travel and are already in contact with other life in the universe. This is only hearsay though.
 
Remember when Googles motto is/was "Do no harm". The FTC must be wrong because they only go after companies doing something wrong. And Google wouldn't be doing something of a anti-trust nature, because that would mean that they are liars.

I never bought into the touchy/feely crap Google handed out. Wouldn't bother me to see their head handed to them. I try to block everything that has google on it. The last straw was when I was getting the same ads from the same companies on web pages that had nothing to do with other. Put googleleads and doubleclick , etc.... in Ad Block Plus and I no longer get "followed" by the same companies. I felt like I was being stalked. I frankly don't care if web sites like HardOcp don't make a 1/10 of a cent off of me.

Dropped Google for Bing (yeah one devil for another) and haven't seen that much of a difference in finding what I need.
 
DEJAL said:
Remember when Googles motto is/was "Do no harm". The FTC must be wrong because they only go after companies doing something wrong. And Google wouldn't be doing something of a anti-trust nature, because that would mean that they are liars.

I never bought into the touchy/feely crap Google handed out. Wouldn't bother me to see their head handed to them. I try to block everything that has google on it. The last straw was when I was getting the same ads from the same companies on web pages that had nothing to do with other. Put googleleads and doubleclick , etc.... in Ad Block Plus and I no longer get "followed" by the same companies. I felt like I was being stalked. I frankly don't care if web sites like HardOcp don't make a 1/10 of a cent off of me.

Dropped Google for Bing (yeah one devil for another) and haven't seen that much of a difference in finding what I need.
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That reads almost like a MS commercial. Google needs lobbyists because the likely people causing the FTC investigation is probably MS itself. Ask yourself this question when has the FTC ever investigated anything within the last 10 years regarding anti-trust in order to protect consumers? The most they've done is say that they are "looking into" whatever offending company of the day was. This issue is entirely political.
 
TwistedAegis said:
I look forward to the day when the US is nothing but lobbyists, government employees and politicians. Surely a good lobbyist could talk the very earth into bearing fruit, right?
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Don't forget the lawyers! Who else is going to be there to help you sue a company/person because you're an idiot?
 
DEJAL said:
Remember when Googles motto is/was "Do no harm". The FTC must be wrong because they only go after companies doing something wrong. And Google wouldn't be doing something of a anti-trust nature, because that would mean that they are liars.
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Google's motto was never "Do no harm", it is "Don't be evil".

Wouldn't bother me to see their head handed to them.
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For what, exactly? Being the best? How dare they make awesome products! HANG THEM! :rolleyes:

I try to block everything that has google on it. The last straw was when I was getting the same ads from the same companies on web pages that had nothing to do with other. Put googleleads and doubleclick , etc.... in Ad Block Plus and I no longer get "followed" by the same companies. I felt like I was being stalked. I frankly don't care if web sites like HardOcp don't make a 1/10 of a cent off of me.
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Pretty sure Kyle & Co will love to hear that you are blocking ads here and are thus costing them money - hope you get banned.
 
I'd let Kyle put an ad on my girlfriends @$$.
Stop blocking ads or get out!
 
kllrnohj said:
Pretty sure Kyle & Co will love to hear that you are blocking ads here and are thus costing them money - hope you get banned.
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On the contrary, Steve reported just couple months ago how 'Malvertising, advertising containing malware,' is on the rise.
http://www.hardocp.com/news/2011/03/08/report_number_malwareladen_sites_have_doubled
...More than one million web sites were estimated to be infected in Q4 2010. As compared to data from one year prior (Q4 2009), web malware infections have nearly doubled and are a growing threat that needs to be abated.
...As we head into Q1 2011, it is clear that cybercriminals are not likely to take a break -- among this new year’s notable cases are several BBC-operated web sites and some large financial exchanges including NASDAQ’s Directors Desk and the London Exchange websites which were infected by web malware, as a result of targeted attacks and malvertising.
...Reputable ad networks also often syndicate or sub-syndicate unsold ad space to remnant ad networks instead of filling them with “house” ads.
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Surely with such a significant security threat, warning by [H] front page, they don't expect users to get hammered by third party ad networks. ;)
 
Domocracy USA style - Just have enough money to buy the politicians to do your bidding rather than that of the folks that voted you in.

Lobbying should be outlawed. Its Government of the people by the poeple for the people. Not Government off the corporations by the corporations for the corporations.
 
Grr forgot the front page no edit bizzaro rule.

Democracy USA style - Just have enough money to buy the politicians to do your bidding rather than that of the folks that voted you in.

Lobbying should be outlawed. Its Government of the people by the poeple for the people. Not Government of the corporations by the corporations for the corporations.
 
You know, you guys make my job super easy sometimes. All we have to do is post a story about ads, and all of the people begging to get banned for ad blocking come out of the woodwork. :)
 
daglesj said:
Grr forgot the front page no edit bizzaro rule.

Democracy USA style - Just have enough money to buy the politicians to do your bidding rather than that of the folks that voted you in.

Lobbying should be outlawed. Its Government of the people by the poeple for the people. Not Government of the corporations by the corporations for the corporations.
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But corporations are people, the Supreme Court says so.
 
I am not an anti corporation kind of guy, but hiring that many lobbyists is not about seeing that Googles "rights" are protected. It's about changing the outcome from lawful neutral to lawful evil.
 
DEJAL said:
I try to block everything that has google on it. The last straw was when I was getting the same ads from the same companies on web pages that had nothing to do with other. Put googleleads and doubleclick , etc.... in Ad Block Plus and I no longer get "followed" by the same companies. I felt like I was being stalked.
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I guess I just don't get all of this crying and whining over being "stalked" or "tracked". Oh noes!! Google knows I like to go to hardocp alot! Now they are going to provide ads for computers parts and services on other sites!! OMG RUN!! THEY KNOW ME!!

Wait... isn't that good and convenient? Would you rather see random ads that have no interest to you? I guess I just don't need to hide stupid things like that. I use Google products every day; GMail, GReader, Android, Calendar, Voice, etc. WTF are people so insane to hide? Companies have wanted to better appeal to consumers for YEARS.

That Kroger VIP card you have, the gas card you have, the VIP customer cards, the credit cards. It's all viewed. They love to know where you go and what you do. They don't give a shit about WHY you do, they just want to give you choices based on what you prefer. Lord forbid they give you relevant ads and promotions! :rolleyes:

I guess watched tons of donkey shows online would get anyone nervous about being "stalked". Jesus Christ their are so many conspiracy theorists out there.

BTW, I'm also not committing murder or other heinous crimes so I don't care if my phone "stalks" me either. GOOD, know my location... help me find what I need when I need it.
 
GORANKAR said:
I am not an anti corporation kind of guy, but hiring that many lobbyists is not about seeing that Googles "rights" are protected. It's about changing the outcome from lawful neutral to lawful evil.
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No, it's Google knowing full well that there are hundreds of lobbyists from their competitors in Washington as well. You either play hard ball and defend yourself with the same weapons as your opponent, or you lay down and die as your opponent smothers you in litigation and anti-Google laws.

The main problem is corrupt government. You have to play that game as a corporation though. There is no escaping it.
 
Besides the search engine has Google scored another big hit yet? Every attempt of theirs that I can remember of either resulted in mediocricity or failure.
 
i don't block ads on [h] but i think it's a bit harsh to ban for it, considering the exploits not too long ago. granted, an exception could be created for the ads and the exploits would still be blocked but i can see the concern addressed by blocking everything external.
 
DeadSkull said:
Besides the search engine has Google scored another big hit yet? Every attempt of theirs that I can remember of either resulted in mediocricity or failure.
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Gmail, docs, maps, places, android. Just off the top of my head. They are the suxors, you are correct.
 
demografik said:
i don't block ads on [h] but i think it's a bit harsh to ban for it, considering the exploits not too long ago. granted, an exception could be created for the ads and the exploits would still be blocked but i can see the concern addressed by blocking everything external.
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They aren't banning for blocking ads, they are banning for *DISCUSSING* ad blocking.

Personally I don't block ads here and I don't get why people do it, it's self defeating. The source of income for this site is ads - without them the site doesn't exist. Ads are necessary, I respect that.
 
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