Google’s D.C. ties worry some consumer advocates - The Boston Globe

Interesting times

But some consumer advocates and scholars assert that Google’s emergence as a mandatory tool for successful election campaigns will inevitably make members of Congress less willing to butt heads with the company over big policy issues.

“Politicians are going to think twice about swatting Google when they are going to need that search engine in their next campaign,’’ said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a consumer advocacy group. “Google is sitting on the Fort Knox of digital information. It’s the go-to company for any kind of Internet advertising campaign, including politics.’’

Google’s D.C. ties worry some consumer advocates - The Boston Globe