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"Tech companies are spending exorbitant sums to advance their
agendas in Washington. In 2012, Google spent $16.48 million and
Microsoft spent $8.09 million to lobby U.S. lawmakers."... I wonder
what are the implications for democratic internet governance and
democracy?? ... <br>
<br>
regards<br>
Guru<br>
<br>
Facebook spent $4 million to lobby U.S. lawmakers in 2012<br>
<br>
The social network is spending millions to advance a pro-Facebook
agenda in the nation's capital. Cue the cynicism.<br>
Jennifer Van Grove<br>
January 23, 2013 1:58 PM PST<br>
Facebook wined and dined U.S. lawmakers and racked up a tab close to
$4 million during 2012, an increase of 196 percent over its courting
costs in the previous year.<br>
<br>
According to disclosure forms, Facebook spent $1.4 million in the
fourth quarter to lobby government officials on foreign relations
matters, online privacy issues, data security, immigration reform,
and online advertising. The fourth-quarter lobby spend is Facebook's
first $1 million-plus quarter; the $1.4 million figure is just
$200,000 less than the company's combined lobbying costs for the
first and second quarters of 2012. The bigger-by-the-month spending
trend is sure to continue as the company pushes to expand its user
base to kids under the age of 13, experiments with facial
recognition technology, and gets more aggressive with its online and
mobile advertising tactics.<br>
<br>
"Our presence and growth in Washington reflect our commitment to
explaining how our service works, the actions we take to protect the
billion plus people who use our service, the importance of
preserving an open Internet, and the value of innovation to our
economy," a Facebook representative told CNET.<br>
<br>
The more cynical view, of course, is that Facebook is buying its way
to favorable laws that will allow it to do more with more member
data. Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit organization that exposes
political injustice, holds this more extreme perspective. "Google
and Facebook would have you believe that they are different from
other corporations. They are not. They are following the corrupt
corporate tradition in Washington: buying what you want," the
organization's privacy project director, John M. Simpson, said in a
statement. Simpson's right about one thing: tech companies are
spending exorbitant sums to advance their agendas in Washington. In
2012, Google spent $16.48 million and Microsoft spent $8.09 million
to lobby U.S. lawmakers.<br>
<br>
source -
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57565507-93/facebook-spent-$4-million-to-lobby-u.s-lawmakers-in-2012/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title">http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57565507-93/facebook-spent-$4-million-to-lobby-u.s-lawmakers-in-2012/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title</a><br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Gurumurthy Kasinathan
Director, IT for Change
<i>In Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC
</i><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.itforchange.net/">www.ITforChange.Net</a> | Cell:91 9845437730 | Tel:91 80 26654134, 26536890
How ICTs can transform teacher education - <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-kgSW_o9z8&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-kgSW_o9z8&feature=youtu.be</a>
<img alt="" src="cid:part2.06000901.05070806@ITforChange.net" width="132" height="90">
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