According to papers filed late on Wednesday, Google spent $2.06 million on federal lobbying in the second quarter of 2011 - up from $1.48 million in the first quarter, and a 54% boost over the same period last year.
The money went towards discussing matters like privacy and control and regulation issues in the online advertising market, as Google met with officials from the FTC, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of representatives and the Executive Office of the President, according to the Reuters report.
Here’s what a Google spokeswoman told Reuters in an e-mailed statement:
“We want to help policymakers understand our business and the work we do to keep the Internet open, to encourage innovation, and to create economic opportunity. Lobbying is a part of that process.”
Between an FTC probe into Google’s business practices, a European Commission inquiry into, well, Google’s business practices, and Google Street View privacy lawsuits galore, it’s no wonder that the search giant is looking for friends in high places.
And while it’s true that Google is unlikely to face a company-destroying penalty in any of these cases, an unfriendly ruling could potentially impair its ability to break into new markets and build out.
For comparison’s sake, Facebook spent the comparatively paltry sum of $320,000 on federal lobbying in the second quarter, with Verizon taking the proverbial crown with a $4.38 million lobbying bill.
