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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Friday 14 July 2017 03:11 AM, Nick
Ashton-Hart wrote:<br>
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<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:C90CBB5A-1A47-45E4-BD27-456D6D9D95FB@consensus.pro">
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The CFA is also not as transparent as it urges everyone else to
be, it has refused to say who funds it in the past, has no details
of who funds it on its website, either - though Oracle confirmed
at one point it was one of its funders.</blockquote>
<br>
It is certainly very odd that CfA (Campaign for Accountability) with
the name and mandate it has, and which alleges Google funds
academics but hides that information, while using the outcome
research for its private purposes, itself refuses to divulge its
donors.. I find it unacceptable. In fact I wrote to them questioning
them on this strange policy and asking to let us know their list of
donors. They responded, quite promptly, that they do not divulge
their donors and "their work speaks for itself". I will presently
forward our exchange to this elist.<br>
<br>
Meanwhile, we still do need to take the information that CfA
divulges very seriously, for the implication it has for our sector.
The information shows how their funding peaked when they were caught
in regulatory problems. And of course we know from our own
experience how google has gone around the world setting up Internet
policy centres, supporting existing ones, and placing google policy
fellows. It is never black and white. It depends on the total impact
that a corporation is able to control in an area of its private
interest. It depends on the extent to which it is into legal/
regulatory trouble, and can be considered as an offender in this
respect, and such things. On all these counts, IMHO, Google has
crossed the redline, big time and long ago, and we need to assess
its funding of this sector, both civil society and academic. This
must be discussed in these spaces.<br>
<br>
Google participates, indeed leads, many government transparency
projects... That should also mean that they should themselves be
transparent in what is supposed to be their public interest work
Unless their academic and CS funding is not public interest but
private interest work, which in that case is ipso facto problematic.
We should be able to get up and ask this obvious question in
numerous panels that we - as in civil society - sits alongside
Google. <br>
<br>
I do, however, feel that the broad brush that the report applies to
indiscriminately name academics that may at any time may have
accepted google funds for some projects is problematic, and should
have been avoided. But that does not serve to excuse those cases,
which is a very huge number, where it seems that funds were directly
accepted in areas in which google in involved in regularly trouble -
current or possible future ones, and often such funding was not
disclosed. <br>
<br>
As we accept that such reports should not take extreme black and
white approach to condemn all kinds of corporate funding, similarly
we as civil society groups, eager to watch out to protect public
interest, cannot take a similar blanket view that everything is well
with google and other cooperate funding. <br>
<br>
parminder<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:C90CBB5A-1A47-45E4-BD27-456D6D9D95FB@consensus.pro">
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<div class="">
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<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On 13 Jul 2017, at 20:08, Jeremy Malcolm
<<a href="mailto:jmalcolm@eff.org" class=""
moz-do-not-send="true">jmalcolm@eff.org</a>> wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class=""> But
here's an article putting the other side of the story:<br
class="">
<br class="">
<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
class="">
<br class="">
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
class="">
<br class="">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 13/7/17 3:21 am,
parminder wrote:<br class="">
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:d2101e5c-0c9e-2abd-1e2f-69aca12811a4@itforchange.net"
class="">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;
charset=utf-8" class="">
<blockquote class="">
<blockquote class="">
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px;
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Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size:
inherit; font-style: normal;
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class="">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;
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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:
inherit; font-style: normal;
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normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
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class="">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:
inherit; font-style: normal;
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font-variant-position: normal; font-weight:
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
24px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
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background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
class=""><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;
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widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
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inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
class="">“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;
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inline !important; float: none;
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class=""><br class="">
</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:
inherit; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;
font-variant-east-asian: normal;
font-variant-position: normal; font-weight:
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
24px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
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background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
class="">................ <br class="">
</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px;
color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian
Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size:
inherit; font-style: normal;
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font-variant-east-asian: normal;
font-variant-position: normal; font-weight:
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
24px; 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);"
class=""><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;
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widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;
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inline !important; float: none;
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class="">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:
inherit; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;
font-variant-east-asian: normal;
font-variant-position: normal; font-weight:
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height:
24px; 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);"
class=""><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);"
class="">...........</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;
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0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display:
inline !important; float: none;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
class="">“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;
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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;
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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);"
class="">.”</span><br class="">
</blockquote>
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color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Guardian
Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size:
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1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width:
0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
class=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);
font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web',
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normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;
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inline !important;" class=""></span><br
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<p class=""><font class="" 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 class=""><font class="" 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
class="">
</font></p>
<p class=""><font class="" 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 class=""><font class="" face="Verdana">parminder
<br class="">
</font></p>
<p class=""><br class="">
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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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