Two days after Google announced a change to its privacy policy that made it clear to users that Google would now share user information with advertisers across the broad spectrum of products the company offers, lawmakers stepped in demanding answers from the search giant.
On Thursday, in a bipartisan inquiry, eight members of the House sent an official letter requesting more information from Google CEO Larry Page about the recent privacy policy changes that have caused an uproar in the Internet community.
“Google’s consolidation of its privacy policies potentially touches billions of people worldwide,” the members wrote that was posted on USENET newsgroups. ”As an Internet giant, Google has a responsibility to protect the privacy of its users. Therefore, we are writing to learn why Google feels that these changes are necessary, and what steps are being taken to ensure the protection of consumer’s privacy rights.”
One of the representives wrote, ”After all the controversies Google has become entangled in, the question people keep asking is, ‘How can we ever begin to trust Google?’”
“I’ve always said the private industry needs to take the lead in providing consumer choice and transparency before big government rushes in to regulate,” said the rep, ”But Google’s move to eradicate consumer choice all together across their various platforms raises additional questions about how the company’s monopoly power might hurt competition and how their action might unilaterally and unnecessarily invite even broader government regulations on everyone else.”
The letter was signed by Reps. Cliff Stearns, Henry Waxman, Joe Barton, Edward Markey, Marsha Blackburn, Dianne DeGette, G.K. Butterfield and Jackie Speier.
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