Rumor: Conde Layoffs in Chicago Today
In your thrashed Thursday media column: More Conde layoff rumors, Martha Stewart's evil company gets sued, media hair racism persists, and Choire Sicha declaims on the current technomedia foofaraw.
Feds to Hound Blogs for Acting Like Magazines
Some writers accept free products, services or trips and then write "reviews" of said items. When magazines and newspapers did this it was fine, but now that bloggers have joined in, it may well become a federal offense.
Build An Entire Magazine, Get Nothing Credit
In your total ripoff Tuesday media column: the worst media internship offer in at least a couple days, flackery invades the media (moreso), and a J-school student would rather not help solve a murder:
Is Google Heading For an Antitrust Trainwreck?
Everyone has misunderstood why Google, from CEO Eric Schmidt on down, is cozying up to Barack Obama. It's not out of some likeminded geekiness. It's out of desperation and fear.
Street Talk
FTC gives Carl Icahn permission to acquire more Yahoo stock
The Federal Trade Commission says corporate raider Carl Icahn should feel free to buy more large blocks of Yahoo shares. At last count, Icahn already owned 4.3 percent of Yahoo. Shareholders allied with his view on the Microsoft-Yahoo merger — that it should happen — now control at least 31 percent of the company.…
Google's answer to antitrust concerns over Yahoo deal: Whirlpool
Yahoo executives want to let Google serve ads next to its search results. But that would mean Google would be selling ads on 80 percent of all search queries online. Microsoft won't let that happen without stirring up antitrust fears in Washington. Secret Google sources tell the New York Times they plan to get…
Google's Aspen junkets for FTC commissioners just the start of its lobbying spree
In 2007, Google spent $1.5 million lobbying Washington, D.C politicians and regulators. According to public filings, much of that cash went toward getting the Google-DoubleClick merger approved. Google says the rest went toward patent and copyright reform, online privacy, energy independence, getting funding for…
The Con Man That THEY Don't Want You To Know About
Kevin Trudeau is the infomercial star and dressed-up hustler who cons the gullible of America by claiming to sell things that "THEY" don't want you to know. Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About. The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You To Know About. Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About. The…
ValueClick settles for $2.9 million in spam case
ValueClick's $2.9 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission of charges it spammed users with deceptive offers was filed in federal court today. While ValueClick publicly announced the settlement terms last month, and gets away without having to admit wrongdoing, the bad news couldn't have come at a worse…
FTC seeks to bore online advertisers with proposals
Following its approval of the Google-DoubleClick merger, the FTC put out a series of proposals regarding privacy and online advertising. Dear God they're boring. But relevant nonetheless. Here are the bullet points.
Despite the fact that her husband is a partner for a firm that represents DoubleClick, FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras will not recuse herself from the Google-DoubleClick merger case, she announced today. I, however, am happy to recuse myself. But nobody's asked. [Beyond Binary]
Conflict of interest at FTC could delay GoogleClick merger
Two consumer advocacy groups say FTC chairman Deborah Platt Majoras has no place judging the merit of their privacy complaints stemming from the proposed merger of Google and DoubleClick. Majoras's husband, John M. Majoras, works as an antitrust lawyer at Jones Day. DoubleClick is a firm client. That's a conflict of…
FTC getting an earful over Facebook privacy invasions
Better hurry up with those rumored changes to Beacon, Mark Zuckerberg. The Federal Trade Commission, which we warned might pose a problem, is about to get on your case. According to reports, agitators from the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy just announced their intent to…
The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that its decision regarding Google's purchase of DoubleClick will focus on antitrust rather than privacy issues. A decision could come this month. And this has absolutely nothing to do with the detailed search logs Google keeps on all queries originating from ftc.gov. […
FTC privacy kick spells trouble for Facebook
Federal Trade Commission commissioner Jon Leibowitz is concerned. And not just about his obnoxiously redundant job title. In a "town hall" meeting held yesterday in Washington on the topic of online advertising and behavioral targeting, Leibowitz hinted that the agency might soon require users opt into behavioral…
