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

Thu Jul 13 15:04:55 EDT 2017

I second Renata.

Our research and advocacy space is suffering from a funding problem and it
is harming its credibility. It will be great to have a larger pool of funds
supporting our efforts, which are becoming more mainstream and relevant for
the next 50 years (especially for developing countries). The production of
research is extremely concentrated and, as austerity is rampant all over
the World, State funding to research is shrinking by the day even for
developed countries at the same pace as tax evasion (or elusion) (Google is
not guilt free in this area
http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/apple-google-taxes-eu/)

And in small countries, priorities of both governments and private sector
to support research support traditional areas, such as health or education.
Certainly, local funds are not supporting local advocacy efforts for
privacy, net neutrality, etc.

I think the problem is deeper and I think that, in order to continue our
work and efforts with impartiality and credibility, we need a coordinated
effort to get a diverse pool of donors and ways towards sustainability. I
think the comparisons of Big Oil funding Greenpeace, when we talk about
giants like Facebook or Google, is valid now.

What about all the ICANN money? Will it be enough to fund all global and
local advocacy and at least part of the relevant research? A global fund?
Crowdfunding for advocacy and more pressure on governments for research?

R

Renata Avila

*Senior Digital Rights Advisor*
renata.avila at webfoundation.org

*1110 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20005, USA* *| *
*www.webfoundation.org* <http://www.webfoundation.org/>* | Twitter:
@webfoundation*

On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 8:20 PM, Renata Aquino Ribeiro <raquino at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Yes it does.
> Unless they are transparent about it and clear about it not interfering
> with their research ethics.
>
> In the public education system in developing countries it is quite common
> to see funding being misused. Researchers who get money from international
> organizations, even some national ones, using public universities to
> advance an agenda. And yes, this can be sometimes an astroturfing exercise.
>
> Which is why access and production of knowledge needs to be always
> transparent and public.
>
> Unfortunately most of internet policy has not waken up to this yet. I
> wonder if it ever will.
>
> Em 13/07/2017 15:09, "Jeremy Malcolm" <jmalcolm at eff.org> escreveu:
>
>> 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-mi
>> llions-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 Foundationhttps://eff.orgjmalcolm@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
>> PGP fingerprint: 75D2 4C0D 35EA EA2F 8CA8 8F79 4911 EC4A EDDF 1122
>>
>>
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