Relevant quotes:
It’s disappointing that the FTC is relying on “simple, voluntary commitments from Google to end certain practices that a majority of commissioners found to have raised strong concerns about impeding innovation,”
– Patrick Leahy, leader of U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, in an e-mailed statement.
[the agreement the agency accepted] “creates very bad precedent and may lead to the impression that well-heeled firms such as Google will receive special treatment at the commission. Instead of following standard commission procedure and entering into a binding consent agreement to resolve the majority’s concerns, Google has instead made non-binding commitments with respect to its search practices,”
– Tom Rosch, FTC Commissioner
Full article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-03/google-investigation-by-ftc-ends-with-voluntary-changes.html
Naturally, Rosch is stepping down tomorrow, which must be why he can afford to speak freely on the matter.
It is disappointing, but not unexpected, given Google’s involvement with NTSIC, their serious bankrolling of “the hill”, and related lobby/PAC activities.
Yet another reason I’ve left Google entirely, use StartPage.Com or DuckDuckGo.Com for search, and abandoned the Android platform (though the recent Unbuntu phone shows promise).