[governance] More... Google: "Internet Freedom!"... (to do whatever it pleases and serves its business interests?

Suresh Ramasubramanian suresh at hserus.net
Tue Dec 4 13:23:31 EST 2012 

The Tunisian submission is a ringing endorsement of free speech
http://news.dot-nxt.com/itu/wcit/c25

--srs (iPad)

On 04-Dec-2012, at 23:48, Adam Peake <ajp at glocom.ac.jp> wrote:

> Media outside Germany reports that a reason (obviously not the only
> reason) Google started its public campaign is because the German media
> they are at odds with will not cover Google's side of the argument.
> Given this is about a debate over new legislation that's a problem
> (democracy and all that.)  Traditional media it seems is not as free
> as we might hope when it comes to its own interests.
> 
> Is Google the most dangerous player out there?  Go to the .nxt side
> and have a look at Russia's proposal for a new Article 3a
> <http://news.dot-nxt.com/itu/wcit/c27>.  It's been debated a bit in
> WCIT today, and will continue tomorrow.   Offensive that it's even
> give 10 minutes floor time.
> 
> Yesterday, Dr. Toure made two promises: nothing in WCIT would restrict
> freedom of speech, and he intervened in the discussions to seek
> support for a proposal that supported including reference in the ITRs
> to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (and he was
> also concerned about the bad press not including such a reference
> might bring down upon the conference and the ITU). Second promise was
> nothing in WCIT was about Internet governance, but for some reason he
> hasn't yet found it necessary intervene against the Russian proposal
> and the other governments offering it support.  Hypocrite?  We'll see.
> 
> At the moment too many people claiming to speak for CS  aren't paying
> attention to where the immediate problem lies.  Google sucks, but it's
> not going to screw-up the Internet as we know it.
> 
> Adam
> 
> 
> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 1:32 AM, michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Adam, the issue is not the new/old business models (and I have no particular
>> bias one way or another for old or new enterprises or their business
>> models--and to be clear I sincerely admire and appreciate Google as a
>> company, their products, their highly competent and effective staff and
>> spokespeople, and their overall demeanour).
>> 
>> What is important, as the Spiegel article is pointing to, is the way in
>> which Google is using its market strength (and one should say, their overall
>> new media savvy) to attempt to manipulate political processes.
>> 
>> Given their size, wealth, reach and impact this is a very very dangerous
>> slippery slope and given the global scope of Google and similar
>> quasi-monopoly Internet-native enterprises--Facebook, eBay, PayPal, Amazon,
>> Flickr, Youtube all come immediately to mind--this is an exceedingly
>> dangerous precedent and one, which at the moment no national (or global)
>> governmental system seems particularly well equipped to deal with (except
>> through the building of equally repugnant and dangerous national Internet
>> firewalls).
>> 
>> M
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: apeake at gmail.com [mailto:apeake at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Adam Peake
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2012 7:46 AM
>> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
>> Subject: Re: [governance] More... Google: "Internet Freedom!"... (to do
>> whatever it pleases and serves its business interests?
>> 
>> German publishing houses and Google currently in a fight over proposed
>> legislation that would require Google to pay the publishers when they use
>> snippets of text from articles etc in search results.
>> 
>> New business models/old. Traditional media vs. new.  Same in WCIT, ENTO and
>> OTT players.  Best not to try and fit the story to one's personal bias.
>> 
>> Adam
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 12:24 AM, michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/google-encourages-users-t
>>> o-join-campaign-against-copyright-draft-law-a-870590.htm
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> It is a new type of lobbying power when Google now endeavors to enlist
>>> its users in the struggle to defend its own business interests. In the
>>> language of the Internet, one could also say that the company is
>>> trying to crowdsource its own lobbying efforts. This is a widespread
>>> method in the US, where it's known as grassroots lobbying.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> In doing so, the company is relying on a trick that Germany's Pirate
>>> Party has also used to achieve many of its successes: It merely brands
>>> a proposal that it's targeting as a threat to the free, open and
>> uncensored Internet.
>>> The tactic behind this move is obvious. Recently in the US and on a
>>> European Union level, a number of bills have failed due to resistance
>>> from online campaigns. With its current campaign, Google is seeking to
>>> use this to its own benefit -- and is openly playing on politicians'
>>> widespread fear of a shitstorm.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Legal but Risky Business
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The vehemence with which Google is pursuing its campaigns is
>>> astonishing because it entails considerable risks for the company. The
>>> discrepancy between Google's lofty words and its agenda is far too
>>> evident: Of course the company is not primarily interested in the
>>> freedom of Internet users, but rather in defending its own freedom
>>> against any government regulation of its monopoly-like power over the
>>> market and public opinion. This raises the question of whether such an
>>> approach does more harm than good to its own interests.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Well worth reading the whole article.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> M
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> 
>>> From: michael gurstein [mailto:gurstein at gmail.com]
>>> 
>>> Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 2:52 AM
>>> 
>>> To: 'ciresearchers at vancouvercommunity.net';
>>> cracin-canada at vancouvercommunity.net
>>> 
>>> Subject: FW: Hmmmm... Google: "Internet Freedom!"... (from taxes?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://delimiter.com.au/2012/11/23/australian-govt-pledges-action-on-g
>>> oogle-tax-avoidance/
>>> 
>>> [MG>] http://tinyurl.com/d9fhmhx
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/news/15431664/france-says-google-
>>> would-lose-court-case-over-taxes/
>>> 
>>> [MG>] http://tinyurl.com/c43nfs8
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://en.apa.az/news_google_italy_suspected_of_tax_evasion__183392.ht
>>> ml
>>> 
>>> [MG>] http://tinyurl.com/cc4ayk2
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://www.3news.co.nz/Starbucks-Google-Amazon-accused-of-UK-tax-evasi
>>> on/tabid/369/articleID/276457/Default.aspx
>>> 
>>> [MG>] http://tinyurl.com/dylfaxy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/11/23/0156212/australian-govt-pledge
>>> s-action-on-google-tax-evasion
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/the-ituwcit-thinking-about-in
>>> ternet-regulatory-policy-from-an-ldc-perspective/
>>> 
>>> [MG>] http://tinyurl.com/8cw6tux
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://tinyurl.com/choul5g
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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