FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez refuses to contradict Rocsch, refuses to endorse the settlement, and won’t go on the record saying that she knew that Google would be allowed to keep the stolen data.

It’s extremely disconcerting that Google is going to be allowed to retain data it obtains illegally as part of the settlement. But it’s even more troublesome to see how easily Google can manipulate the only watchdog they really have. If the FTC’s lawyers are reflecting what Google wants, rather than its own commissioners, it doesn’t bode well for the upcoming antitrust settlement.