Issa urges FTC 
to smoke out 
Google tipsters

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate leaks to the media about its probe of Google.

Issa sent a letter dated Jan. 3 to Scott Wilson, the FTC's inspector general, urging him to find out which FTC officials provided nonpublic information about the Google case to media outlets.

The FTC closed its investigation of Google on Jan. 3, concluding that the company had not used its dominant search engine to illegally suppress competition.

Issa noted that any leaks ahead of the announcement were illegal and said they were counterproductive to the investigative process.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) have also criticized the FTC for revealing sensitive information.

An FTC spokeswoman acknowledged that the agency had received the letter but had no further comment.

The letter was first reported by technology news site Mashable.

Issa sent a separate letter to the FTC last month criticizing its handling of the Google case. He mentioned unauthorized leaks to the media as one of several issues that gave him concern.

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