<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><br><div><div>On 10 Mar 2014, at 6:26 pm, Guru गुरु <<a href="mailto:Guru@ITforChange.net">Guru@ITforChange.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
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Dear all,<br>
<br>
Not clear, how in Multistakeholderism, where the private sector has
an equal footing in public policy making, we will get Google to
agree that its search algorithm, as the key factor organising the
worlds information/knowledge for all of us, needs to be public
knowledge, not a commercial secret. The need for it to be public
knowledge stems from privacy/surveillance concerns, because such
fundamental knowledge ought to be available as 'cultural commons'
that others can take/re-use/revise, fostering competition etc.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Indeed. It is particularly unclear because many in civil society, or government for that matter, might oppose it becoming public knowledge. Such a course of action would almost certainly lead to many Google searches returning results ranked according to the most industrious search engine optimisation service customers, rather than having at least a reasonable chance of being ranked in a useful way. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Google have revealed quite a few aspects of how they store search information, and how they use it, and what they have revealed is of significant value in assessing the privacy implications (and FWIW, they de-identify most search data after 6 months, or at least that was the case when I was last given a detailed briefing in 2012).</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>But they have good reasons for keeping the details of their search algorithms secret that go beyond simple desire to keep the details of their business secret - an algorithm that is public is one that will be gamed by search engine optimization services, thus rendering the service significantly less useful. I don't see rendering googles searches vulnerable to SEO to be a useful public policy goal. I appreciate the idea of their basic algorithms being part of the cultural commons, but they have revealed their basic technique</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I'm not arguing against oversight. But expecting revelation of trade secrets, even when it destroys both the commercial advantage gained by their development, AND the utility of the service to the general public, seems to push that principle too far. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Cheers</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>David</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><br><blockquote type="cite"><div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<br>
regards,<br>
Guru<br>
<br>
Google faces Rs 30,500-cr fine in India<br>
New Delhi, PTI: March 9, 2014<br>
<br>
Google can face a penalty of up to about $5 billion if it is found
to have violated competition norms of the country. Google, which is
facing anti-trust investigation in India by fair trade watchdog
Competition Commission of India (CCI), can face a penalty of up to
about $5 billion (Rs 30,500 crore) if it is found to have violated
competition norms of the country. <br>
<br>
Google said it is “extending full cooperation” to the CCI in its
investigation. The conclusion of a two-year review by the US
antitrust watchdog has concluded that the company's services were
good for competition, it added. The case has been before the CCI for
over two years now, and it relates to allegations that Google is
abusing its dominant position. Under competition regulations, an
entity found violating the norms could be slapped with penalty of up
to 10 per cent of its three-year annual average turnover. In the
case of Google, its annual revenues in the last three years amounts
to a staggering $49.3 billion (Rs 3.01 lakh crore), and the maximum
penalty can be up to nearly $5 billion.<br>
<br>
When asked about the ongoing probe and the potential penalty, a
Google spokesperson said: “We are extending full co-operation to the
Competition Commission of India in their investigation.” The
emailed statement added: “We're pleased that the conclusion of the
Federal Trade Commission's two-year review was that Google's
services are good for users and good for competition.” <br>
<br>
A complaint filed with the CCI cannot be withdrawn. The complaint
against Google, also one of the world's most valued company, was
first filed by advocacy group CUTS International way back in late
2011. Later. Matrimonial website <a href="http://matrimony.com">matrimony.com</a> Private Ltd also
filed a complaint. Last year, CCI chairman Ashok Chawla had said the
complaint was that the Google search engine favours platforms it
wants to support. <br>
<br>
“That is, when you click on Google under a certain category, you
will get the platforms where there is a tendency to put them in a
certain order which may not be the fair and non-discriminatory. So,
<b>what is the software and what is the algorithmic search, (that
is) what the investigation team is looking at,” </b>Chawla had
said.<br>
<br>
source -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/390977/google-faces-rs-30500-cr.html">http://www.deccanherald.com/content/390977/google-faces-rs-30500-cr.html</a><br>
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