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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">In an earlier mail (below), I had
discussed the need for the Google search engine (as the de facto
organiser of the worlds information for most of us, hence the
gatekeeper) to be functioning on a public accountability (and
hence transparency) mode. This will include public participation
in the algorithm design, social/public/community audit of the
algorithm to ensure there is no distortions being inserted in the
algorithms to feed political/economic vested interests etc....<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/22838-facebook-and-the-future-of-global-governance">http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/22838-facebook-and-the-future-of-global-governance</a>
discusses similar ideas regarding Facebook, which is fulfilling a
critical social function, and hence, cannot be dictated purely by
private profit considerations alone.... While article also makes
some suggestions on ways forward, it is perhaps more important to
first acknowledge that these are important points for global
public policy making relating to IG.... and then discuss
possibilities from a public interest advancement perspective.<br>
<br>
regards<br>
Guru<br>
<br>
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On 03/10/2014 03:56 PM, Guru गुरु wrote:<br>
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<blockquote cite="mid:531D9366.9060301@ITforChange.net" 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>
<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 matrimony.com 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 moz-do-not-send="true" 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>
</blockquote>
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