Mark Bergen Ben Brody Bloomberg

Google, faced with what may be the most intense political scrutiny in the company's 20-year history, decided to pass on a chance to defend itself in Congress.

Google, faced with what may be the most intense political scrutiny in the company's 20-year history, decided to pass on a chance to defend itself in Congress.

No one at Google envied Mark Zuckerberg last week as he was being grilled by Congress. But for years, they certainly coveted the personal data that made Facebook Inc. a formidable digital ad player. And the strategies they set to compete have now placed Google squarely in the cross hairs of a privacy backlash against the world's largest social-medi...

Google is squarely in the cross hairs of a privacy backlash against the world's largest social-media company.

Google, faced with what may be the most intense political scrutiny in the company's 20-year history, decided to pass on a chance to defend itself in Congress.

Google, faced with what may be the most intense political scrutiny in the company's 20-year history, decided to pass on a chance to defend itself in Congress.

No one at Google envied Mark Zuckerberg last week as he was being grilled by Congress. But for years, they certainly coveted the personal data that made Facebook Inc. a formidable digital ad player. And the strategies they set to compete have now placed Google squarely in the cross hairs of a privacy backlash against the world's largest social-medi...

Google is squarely in the cross hairs of a privacy backlash against the world's largest social-media company.