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Mimes spy to protest Google (photos)

Consumer Watchdog hires mimes to bring attention to the group's claims that Google abuses the privacy of Internet users.

Greg Sandoval
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.
Greg Sandoval
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1 of 3 Greg Sandoval/CNET

Fanciful protestors

The mimes hired by Consumer Watchdog, a group that accuses Google of abusing the privacy of Internet users, arrived in the heart of government today in Washington, D.C. They said they were playful but not playing around. They tried to dramatize for government workers and lawmakers the feeling of being watched. They staged their protest on the same day that Google Chairman Eric Schmidt testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on antitrust during a hearing on whether Google harms competition.

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2 of 3 Greg Sandoval/CNET

Peeping game

A mime hired by Consumer Watchdog stops one passerby outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building to peer at the man's papers. Surprisingly, the man agrees. Let's hope those aren't sensitive documents.

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3 of 3 Greg Sandoval/CNET

Attention getters

The payoff. Consumer Watchdog and the group's hired actors draw the kind of attention the group undoubtedly sought. The demonstration preceded Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on antitrust.

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