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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Thursday 13 July 2017 11:38 PM,
Jeremy Malcolm wrote:<br>
</div>
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cite="mid:f202312f-5839-37e6-6ad0-6f04f29ba309@eff.org">
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But here's an article putting the other side of the story:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Cry-Foul-at-Their/240635"
moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Cry-Foul-at-Their/240635</a><br>
<br>
We place Google Policy Fellows at EFF, too. Does that mean that
whatever work they do for the rest of their careers is tainted by
the few thousand they received to support their living expenses as
an EFF fellow?<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
I do not think so. But a huge amount of transparency must attend
what these fellows work on, who sets their agenda, who shapes, vets,
etc their outputs, and so on?<br>
<br>
Since you share EEF's experience with google fellows, let me ask you
a direct question. A few NGOs where Google placed its fellows have
told me in the past that Google closely vets final outcomes of any
research from these fellows. Is it true by your experience/
knowledge?<br>
<br>
Meanwhile here is an old Washington Post's report of Google's
funding related malfeasance, of pretty serious kind, including
manipulating conferences, and influencing research and general
thinktank outputs.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-google-is-transforming-power-and-politicsgoogle-once-disdainful-of-lobbying-now-a-master-of-washington-influence/2014/04/12/51648b92-b4d3-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html?utm_term=.fe86b3250d50">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-google-is-transforming-power-and-politicsgoogle-once-disdainful-of-lobbying-now-a-master-of-washington-influence/2014/04/12/51648b92-b4d3-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html?utm_term=.fe86b3250d50</a><br>
<br>
Not all these reports can be biased.... <br>
<br>
They had the following to say about google fellows (quoted without
prejudice, since we are on the topic)<br>
<br>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 20px; font-family:
Georgia; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px auto 18px; max-width:
100%; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Google
“fellows” — young lawyers, writers and thinkers paid by the
company — populate elite think tanks such as the Cato
Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the New
America Foundation.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 20px; font-family:
Georgia; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 0px auto 18px; max-width:
100%; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">To
critics, Google’s investments have effectively shifted the
national discussion away from Internet policy questions that
could affect the company’s business practices. Groups that
might ordinarily challenge the policies and practices of a
major corporation are holding their fire, those critics say.</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
Thanks, parminder <br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:f202312f-5839-37e6-6ad0-6f04f29ba309@eff.org"> <br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 13/7/17 3:21 am, parminder wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:d2101e5c-0c9e-2abd-1e2f-69aca12811a4@itforchange.net">
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<blockquote>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);">Google has spent millions funding academic
research in the US and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news"
data-link-name="auto-linked-tag"
data-component="auto-linked-tag" class="u-underline"
style="touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(0, 86,
137); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style:
solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; background:
transparent;" moz-do-not-send="true">Europe</a><span
class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to try to
influence public opinion and policymakers, a watchdog has
claimed.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);">Over the last decade, Google has funded
research papers that appear to support the technology
company’s business interests and defend against regulatory
challenges such as antitrust and anti-piracy, the US-based
Campaign for Accountability (CfA) said<span
class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a
href="https://campaignforaccountability.org/new-report-reveals-googles-extensive-financial-support-for-academia/"
data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(0, 86,
137); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style:
solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; background:
transparent;" moz-do-not-send="true">in a report</a>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia,
serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans:
auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
display: inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Google uses its
immense wealth and power to attempt to influence
policymakers at every level,” said Daniel Stevens, CfA
executive director. </span><span style="color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans:
auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
display: inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br>
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);">................ <br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia,
serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans:
auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
display: inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Academics were
directly funded by Google in more than half of the cases
and in the rest of the cases funded indirectly by groups
or institutions supported by Google, the CfA said.
Authors, who were paid between $5,000 and $400,000
(£3,900-£310,000) by Google, did not disclose the source
of their funding in 66% of all cases, and in 26% of
those cases directly funded by Google, according to the
report.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51,
51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255,
255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia,
serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans:
auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
display: inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...........</span></p>
<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian
Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: medium;
font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight:
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px;
orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
display: inline !important; float: none; background-color:
rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Whenever Google’s bad behaviour is
exposed, it invariably points the finger at someone else,”
said Stevens. “Instead of deflecting blame, Google should
address its record of academic astroturfing, which puts it
in the same league as big oil and </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/series/tobacco-a-deadly-business"
data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline"
style="touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(0, 86, 137);
cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style:
solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220);
transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; font-family:
'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size:
medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;
font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background: rgb(255, 255, 255);" moz-do-not-send="true">big
tobacco</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif;
font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant:
normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space:
normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline
!important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255,
255);">.”</span><br>
</blockquote>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51,
51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia,
serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant:
normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color:
rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width:
0px; display: inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></span></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/13/google-millions-academic-research-influence-opinion"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/13/google-millions-academic-research-influence-opinion</a></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">As we know Google has recently been
fined $ 2.7 billion for anti-competitive practices by the EU
regulator, which only means that in all countries that are
too weak to take on google (or benefit from its profits,
meaning the US) Google remains in violation of competition
(and many other) laws..... All this Google funded research
and advocacy, of dont regulate the Internet (read, Internet
companies), are playing a dangerous game, seriously
compromising public interest. <br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">It is time we declare the honeymoon of
civil society and academic love for digital global
corporations over. They are today like big oil companies --
no doubt the latter provide what is still the main energy
resource that keeps our societies ticking but in the bargain
they very often, and systemically, indulge in stuff that
needs academics and NGOs to be watching against. It is
pretty difficult to undertake such watching while taking
considerable money from them. It is a simple truism, but the
digital sector tends to ignore it.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">parminder <br>
</font></p>
<p><br>
</p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Global Policy Analyst
Electronic Frontier Foundation
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://eff.org" moz-do-not-send="true">https://eff.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:jmalcolm@eff.org" moz-do-not-send="true">jmalcolm@eff.org</a>
Tel: 415.436.9333 ext 161
:: Defending Your Rights in the Digital World ::
Public key: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.eff.org/files/2016/11/27/key_jmalcolm.txt" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.eff.org/files/2016/11/27/key_jmalcolm.txt</a>
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