Rest easy Bunky, the FTC is watching Google

The Federal Trade Commission is poking around in Google's affairs on the fear that this company may be cornering the market on personal data collection. It's called an "anti-trust review" in a news article today. So have no fear.

Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union reports that four beef packers dominate 83.5 percent of that business, four pork packers control 66 percent of that market, and the top four poultry companies process 58.5 percent of this country's broilers. Also, five companies control 48 percent of U.S. food retailing, compared to 25 percent a decade ago.

But where the FTC really shines forth in true colors is in its attention to the oil industry.

A letter to the FTC by Senators Feingold and Feinstein in October 2005 criticized regulators who permit consolidation of oil refineries, such as Valero Energy and Premcor, giving it a 13-percent market share.

"In 1993, the five largest oil companies operating in the U.S. controlled 34.5 percent of domestic oil refinery capacity; the top ten companies controlled 55.6 percent," the letter said. "By 2004, the top five controlled 56.3 percent and the top ten refiners controlled 83 percent. As a result of the FTC’s policies, the largest five oil refiners today control more capacity than the largest ten did a decade ago. ... We request that the FTC explain how the mergers the agency has allowed have not harmed consumers, and, contrary to GAO findings, have not decreased competition."

That, apparently, ended the senators' responsibility to American consumers. This fine display of PR news-making notwithstanding, we are still getting screwed at the gas pump, the grocery store, the meat market, and everywhere else government regulators permit unbridled non-competitive business practices.

Rest easy, Bunky. The FTC is right on Google's case for hoarding information. That'll help.