Google/Fitbit Will Monetise Health Data and Harm Consumers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
June 7, 2010 ANALYSIS of the FTC's DECISION NOT to BLOCK
June 7, 2010 ANALYSIS OF THE FTC’S DECISION NOT TO BLOCK GOOGLE’S ACQUISITION OF ADMOB Randy Stutz and Richard Brunell* Introduction On May 21, 2010, after months of investigation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it would not challenge Google’s $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a mobile advertising network and mobile ad solutions and services provider.1 In this white paper, we present AAI’s analysis of the FTC’s decision. The FTC found that, but for recent developments concerning Apple, the acquisition “appeared likely to lead to a substantial lessening of competition in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.” According to the FTC, Google and AdMob “currently are the two leading mobile advertising networks, and the Commission was concerned about the loss of head-to-head competition between them.” The companies “generate the most revenue among mobile advertising networks, and both companies are particularly strong in … performance ad networks,” i.e. those networks that sell advertising by auction on a “per click” or other direct response basis. Without necessarily defining a relevant market, the Commission apparently saw a likelihood of unilateral anticompetitive effects, as it found “each of the merging parties viewed the other as its primary competitor, and that each firm made business decisions in direct response to this perceived competitive threat.” Yet, Apple’s acquisition of the third largest mobile ad network, Quattro Wireless, in December 2009, and its introduction of its own mobile advertising network, iAd, as part of its iPhone applications package, convinced the FTC that the anticompetitive effects of the acquisition “should [be] mitigate[d].” The Commission “ha[d] reason to believe that Apple * Randy Stutz is a Research Fellow and Richard Brunell is the Director of Legal Advocacy of the American Antitrust Institute (AAI), a non-profit research and advocacy organization devoted to advancing the role of competition in the economy, protecting consumers, and sustaining the vitality of the antitrust laws. -
July 23, 2020 the Honorable William P. Barr Attorney General United
July 23, 2020 The Honorable William P. Barr Attorney General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Attorney General Barr: We write to raise serious concerns regarding Google LLC’s (Google) proposed acquisition of Fitbit, Inc. (Fitbit).1 We are aware that the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice is investigating this transaction and has issued a Second Request to gather additional information about the acquisition’s potential effects on competition.2 Amid reports that Google is offering modest, short-term concessions to overseas enforcers to avoid a full-scale investigation of the transaction in Europe,3 we write to urge the Division to continue with its efforts to conduct a thorough and comprehensive review of this proposed merger and to take any and all enforcement action warranted by the law and the evidence. It is no exaggeration to say that Google is under intense antitrust scrutiny across the globe. As you know, the company has been under investigation for potential anticompetitive conduct across a number of product markets by the Department and numerous state attorneys general, as well as by a number of foreign competition enforcers, some of which are also reviewing the proposed Fitbit acquisition. Competition concerns about Google are widespread and bipartisan. Against this backdrop, in November 2019, Google announced its proposed acquisition of Fitbit for $2.1 billion, a staggering 71 percent premium over Fitbit’s pre-announcement stock price.4 Fitbit—which makes wearable technology devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers— has more than 28 million active users submitting sensitive location and health data to the company. -
Alphabet Company 2021 Report
Alphabet Company 2021 Report 22 January 2021 ALPHABET ALPHABET COMPANY COMPANY OVERVIEW Alphabet, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the business of acquisition and operation of different companies. It operates through the Google and Other Bets segments. The Google segment includes its main Internet products such as ads, Android, Chrome, hardware, Google Cloud, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Other Bets segment consists of businesses such as Access, Calico, CapitalG, GV, Verily, Waymo, and X. The company was founded by Lawrence E. Page and Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin on October 2, 2015 and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. The company currently falls under ‘Mega-Cap’ category with current market capitalization of 1100 B. Market capitalization usually refers to the total value of a company’s stock within the entire market. Google’s namesake search engine and YouTube video service are gateways to the internet for billions of people and have become more essential as they transact and entertain online to avoid the virus. Advertisers have turned to Google’s ad system to let shoppers know about deals and adjusted service offerings as the economy chugs along again. ALPHABET FINANCIALS - Q3 2020 The company beat estimates across the board, following its first-ever revenue decline in Q2. The results showed a strong rebound in its core advertising business, which was hit hard by customer spending pullbacks amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Total revenues of $46.2 billion in the third quarter reflect broad based growth led by an increase in advertiser spend in Search and YouTube as well as continued strength in Google Cloud and Play $46.17 BILLION On the company’s earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai said, “This year, including this REVENUE quarter, showed how valuable Google’s founding product, search, has been to people.” Pichai said starting next quarter, it will report operating income for its cloud $16.40 business, joining Amazon in giving investors EARNINGS PER SHARE more details. -
Google Ad Tech
Yaletap University Thurman Arnold Project Digital Platform Theories of Harm Paper Series: 4 Report on Google’s Conduct in Advertising Technology May 2020 Lissa Kryska Patrick Monaghan I. Introduction Traditional advertisements appear in newspapers and magazines, on television and the radio, and on daily commutes through highway billboards and public transportation signage. Digital ads, while similar, are powerful because they are tailored to suit individual interests and go with us everywhere: the bookshelf you thought about buying two days ago can follow you through your favorite newspaper, social media feed, and your cousin’s recipe blog. Digital ads also display in internet search results, email inboxes, and video content, making them truly ubiquitous. Just as with a full-page magazine ad, publishers rely on the revenues generated by selling this ad space, and the advertiser relies on a portion of prospective customers clicking through to finally buy that bookshelf. Like any market, digital advertising requires the matching of buyers (advertisers) and sellers (publishers), and the intermediaries facilitating such matches have more to gain every year: A PwC report estimated that revenues for internet advertising totaled $57.9 billion for 2019 Q1 and Q2, up 17% over the same half-year period in 2018.1 Google is the dominant player among these intermediaries, estimated to have netted 73% of US search ad spending2 and 37% of total US digital ad spending3 in 2019. Such market concentration prompts reasonable questions about whether customers are losing out on some combination of price, quality, and innovation. This report will review the significant 1 PricewaterhouseCoopers for IAB (October 2019), Internet Advertising Revenue Report: 2019 First Six Months Results, p.2. -
Google-Doubleclick Acquisition Background Information September 2007
Google-DoubleClick Acquisition Background Information September 2007 On April 13, 2007, Google announced an agreement to acquire DoubleClick, a digital marketing technology and services company. DoubleClick offers online ad serving and management technology to advertisers, web publishers, and ad agencies. It helps companies place their graphical and video ads on Web sites in a highly efficient manner, allowing advertisers to target ads and improve the productivity and results of their online advertising campaigns. • Competition: Google and DoubleClick are not competitors. Google generates most of its revenue from selling space to place text ads on its own website and on small portions of partners' websites. DoubleClick does not sell ad space. Its core products offer support technology for storing, serving, and tracking display ads. In addition, the broader advertising market is highly competitive and dynamic, and thousands of companies compete in selling ad space online. • Privacy: Google has a history of being an advocate for user privacy. Our goal is to improve privacy protection and data security for all Internet users. Users will continue to benefit from our commitment to protecting user privacy following this acquisition. • What People Are Saying: Academics, analysts, legal experts, competitors, advertisers, and newspapers are saying that the acquisition should be approved, noting that Google and DoubleClick are in complementary but not identical markets; Google has a strong track record on privacy; government should allow the free market to work; and that there is minimal legal precedent for rejecting an acquisition of this kind. Benefits of Acquisition Google's goal is to make advertising on the Internet work better: better for users with less intrusive ads, better for advertisers with greater accountability and effectiveness, and better for online publishers with improved monetization and cleaner site integration. -
Incorporating Authentic Video Into Language-Learning Mobile Applications
Incorporating Authentic Video into Language-learning Mobile Applications Andrew Watabe A project submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts J. Paul Warnick, Chair Rob Alan Martinsen Rob Reynolds Center for Language Studies Brigham Young University Copyright © 2021 Andrew Watabe All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Incorporating Authentic Video into Language-learning Mobile Applications Andrew Watabe Center for Language Studies, BYU Master of Arts Authentic content in language materials can provide learners with meaningful contexts that enhance language learning (Shrum & Glisan, 2016). This project seeks to create a Japanese- learning iOS app that teaches language directly from authentic Japanese YouTube videos. The app provides a video library where users can find videos on a variety of topics such as food, music, beauty, and games. Each video features video captions, vocabulary exercises, and grammar drills based on the language used in the video. Students enrolled in Japanese classes at Brigham Young University were asked to test out the app and provide feedback on their experience. The participants enjoyed the authentic content and found the written transcripts of the videos to be helpful to their learning. They also requested additional content and features to improve the app. Based on the participants’ comments, we created a plan of action including future updates for the app. Keywords: CALL, authentic texts, Japanese, scaffolding, mobile apps, YouTube -
4. Google Health a Number of Companies Offer to Store Personal
4. Google Health A number of companies offer to store personal health records on the Web. Companies in this business hope to capitalize on the huge market of interested consumers seeking online health information and controlled health spending. The newest entry is Google Health with its technical know-how, deep pockets, and familiarity to consumers. A trial of Google's program with Cleveland Clinic patients was quickly oversubscribed, quelling fears that patients would worry about the security of their records. Google Health users will create their own electronic medical record online, with the capability to enter and manage health information and access it online from anywhere. This portable medical record will be accessible regardless of doctor, moves, insurance changes, etc. The record can be set to send reminders to refill prescriptions and schedule return medical visits. Permission from the patient is required to access the patient's record; however, there are important exceptions noted in the Google Health Terms of Service and Sharing Authorization to which users must agree when they sign on for the service. Google Health is free to users. Experts have long touted electronic medical records as a way to overcome the lack of coordination among health care providers. In addition, electronic records provide patients and providers with search capability linking information in the patient's records with information about health care alternatives, thereby giving patients more control over their health care choices. Access is available to patients, and to providers with patient consent. Google Health allows the patient to determine what information is shared with medical providers and pharmacies. -
If Google Is a 'Bad' Monopoly, What Should Be Done?
If Google Is A 'Bad' Monopoly, What Should Be Done? Google Inc. is currently subject to antitrust investigations by state attorneys general in the United States, as well as antitrust authorities in the European Union. Google and its allies have mounted a vigorous public defense, arguing that Google’s activity should be immune from antitrust scrutiny or that imposing a remedy on Google would transform antitrust enforcers into some kind of undesirable “software regulatory agency,” which would threaten innovation in the Internet. These arguments are reminiscent of the claims made 20 years ago that antitrust analysis was too outdated to apply to high-tech industries. That argument was rejected then, and it should be rejected now. Exclusionary conduct by a dominant firm can distort fair competition in high-tech markets, Samuel Miller just as in more traditional markets. Antitrust remedies can, and should, be imposed to make sure that a dominant company does not improperly keep rivals out of its markets or improperly strengthen its dominant position, to the detriment of consumers and innovation. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia rejected Google’s original proposals to resolve claims of anti-competitive conduct in July 2013, and is currently considering a revised proposal submitted by Google. So what remedy proposals would make sense? This article will outline potential antitrust remedies that may appropriately be imposed upon Google, assuming antitrust authorities or courts determine that Google has violated the antitrust laws. What Is an Illegal Monopoly? A company violates Section 2 of the Sherman Act when it acquires or maintains or “monopoly power” in a relevant market by “exclusionary” conduct. -
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 2 3 II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE ................................................................................. 8 4 III. PARTIES .................................................................................................................... 9 5 A. Plaintiffs .......................................................................................................... 9 6 B. Defendants ....................................................................................................... 9 7 IV. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS ................................................................................... 17 8 A. Alphabet’s Reputation as a “Good” Company is Key to Recruiting Valuable Employees and Collecting the User Data that Powers Its 9 Products ......................................................................................................... 17 10 B. Defendants Breached their Fiduciary Duties by Protecting and Rewarding Male Harassers ............................................................................ 19 11 1. The Board Has Allowed a Culture Hostile to Women to Fester 12 for Years ............................................................................................. 19 13 a) Sex Discrimination in Pay and Promotions: ........................... 20 14 b) Sex Stereotyping and Sexual Harassment: .............................. 23 15 2. The New York Times Reveals the Board’s Pattern -
Digital Advertising Standards and Creative Specifications Last Revised: May 26, 2021
Bell Media - Digital Advertising Standards and Creative Specifications Last revised: May 26, 2021 Digital Advertising Standards and Creative Specifications (Last revised: May 26, 2021) To learn more about Bell Media Digital visit: http://www.bellmedia.ca/digital/ Contact [email protected] for any questions Bell Media sites are IAB Canada compliant. All Bell Media ads are served through Google’s DoubleClick for Publishers Premium ad server. Bell Media reserves the right to refuse any advertising/advertisers, make exceptions to this policy on a case-by-case basis, as well as, to make changes and add to this policy at any time. If you have any questions regarding creative submissions, please contact your Bell Media Account Representative. PLEASE NOTE: ANY ELEMENT NOT MEETING SPEC WILL BE RETURNED FOR REVISION, WHICH MAY DELAY THE EXPECTED LAUNCH DATE AND RESULT IN LOST IMPRESSIONS Page 1 of 27 Bell Media - Digital Advertising Standards and Creative Specifications Last revised: May 26, 2021 Contents Available Web Ad Placements ......................................................................................................................... 4 . ESPN Ad Sizes ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Apple News .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 SLA Creative Deadlines ..................................................................................................................................... -
Testimony of Marc Donner, Director of Engineering, Google Health
Testimony of Marc Donner, Director of Engineering, Google Health National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Executive Subcommittee on Privacy, Confidentiality & Security Hearing on Personal Health Records May 20, 2009 Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to testify before the subcommittee on the important issue of Personal Health Records (PHRs). My name is Marc Donner and I am the Engineering Director for Google Health™. I have over thirty years of experience in engineering of hardware, software, and complex systems, and I hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie-Mellon University. My role on the Google Health team is to supervise the infrastructure and product design of Google Health. The focus of my attention is on ensuring our ability to scale, receive standards-compliant data from as many sources as possible, protect the integrity and privacy of PHR information, and increase the usefulness of Google Health data for our users. In my testimony today, I would like to focus on three main points: First, I'd like to discuss PHRs and their role in the healthcare industry. Second, I'll describe Google's health-related initiatives including Google Health, our own PHR product. Finally, I will make a handful of policy recommendations based on the experience that Google™ has had to date with health information technology generally and PHRs specifically. PHRs and how they fit into the bigger picture Google Health launched its PHR in the spring of 2008. In 2006, it was estimated that were roughly 200 PHRs. 1 In the past three years, many more products have emerged, along with Google’s offering. -
Fitbit Flex User Manual
User Manual Version 1.1 Table of Contents Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................ 1 What’s in the box .................................................................................................................................... 1 What’s in this document ...................................................................................................................... 1 Putting on your Fitbit Flex ..................................................................................................................... 2 Moving the clasp from the large to small wristband ............................................................... 2 Inserting the tracker into the wristband ....................................................................................... 2 Securing your wristband .................................................................................................................... 3 Setting up your Fitbit Flex .................................................................................................................... 5 Setting up your tracker on your mobile device ........................................................................ 5 Setting up your tracker on your Windows 10 PC ..................................................................... 5 Setting up your tracker on your Mac ............................................................................................ 6 Syncing