[bestbits] Accountability group puts Google in same league as big oil and big tobacco

[Jeremy Malcolm]

But here's an article putting the other side of the story:

http://www.chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Cry-Foul-at-Their/240635

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?

On 13/7/17 3:21 am, parminder wrote:
>
>         Google has spent millions funding academic research in the US
>         and Europe <https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news> to
>         try to influence public opinion and policymakers, a watchdog
>         has claimed.
>
>         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 in a report
>         <https://campaignforaccountability.org/new-report-reveals-googles-extensive-financial-support-for-academia/>.
>
>         “Google uses its immense wealth and power to attempt to
>         influence policymakers at every level,” said Daniel Stevens,
>         CfA executive director.
>
>         ................
>
>         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.
>
>         ...........
>
>         “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
>         big tobacco
>         <https://www.theguardian.com/world/series/tobacco-a-deadly-business>.”
>
> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/13/google-millions-academic-research-influence-opinion
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> parminder
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Global Policy Analyst
Electronic Frontier Foundation
https://eff.org
jmalcolm at eff.org

Tel: 415.436.9333 ext 161

:: Defending Your Rights in the Digital World ::

Public key: https://www.eff.org/files/2016/11/27/key_jmalcolm.txt
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