[governance] Google's Fight the ITU/WCIT website

Suresh Ramasubramanian suresh at hserus.net
Wed Nov 21 03:40:24 EST 2012 

I fail to see how google selling email, collaboration etc services to
telcos has anything to do with the free and open internet here.

Remember something - even if google sells something to the telcos, the
users are the telco's users, and the law that's followed will be the law of
whichever country those users are in, and the telco does business in.

And as for asking whether parminder is crazy .. well, I will confess that I
don't quite have to ask myself that question at all.

Riaz K Tayob [21/11/12 09:54 +0200]:
>Are you crazy Parminder?
>
>Rule no. 1 The "free market" is always right
>
>Rule no. 2 If not, consult rule number 1.
>
>Rule no. 3 If you feel let down by rule no. 1 consult rule no. 2
>
>Apologies if this seems self-referential... but that is how it IS
>
>
>
>On 2012/11/21 09:49 AM, parminder wrote:
>>
>>            From Google's sign-on campaign
>>
>>            “A free and open world depends on a free and open
>>            Internet. Governments alone, working behind closed doors,
>>            should not direct its future. The billions of people
>>            around the globe who use the Internet should have a voice.”
>>
>>
>>            https://www.google.com/takeaction/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=112012freeandopen#make-your-voice-heard
>>
>>
>>
>>Dear Google; Yes, the world indeed needs an open Internet, for 
>>which reason it is rather awful to note that you, meaning, Google;
>>
>>1) Sold the entire net neutrality campaign down the drain in the 
>>US, by first assuming its leadership and then entering into a 
>>self-serving agreement with Verizon, whereby the main means of 
>>accessing the Internet in the future - mobiles - are exempted from 
>>net neutrality provisions.
>>
>>2) Have recently entered into exclusive arrangements with telecos 
>>to provide Gmail, Google + and Google Search for free in some 
>>developing countries (Philippines) , and as a special low cost 
>>package exclusively of a few Internet services (and not the full, 
>>public Internet) in others (India), which makes a mockery of an 
>>open and net neutral Internet.
>>
>>3) Tweak your search results, which is increasingly the main way of 
>>accessing locations on the Internet, in non-transparent ways, with 
>>increasing evidence that this is done in a manner that merely 
>>serves your own commercial interests and goes against consumer/ 
>>public interest, and for which reasons Google is currently subject 
>>to regulatory investigations in the US and EU.
>>
>>( There are hundreds of other outrages, big and small, including 
>>the fact that today I suddenly  see my default browser getting set 
>>for "Chrome' when I prefer and have always used Mozilla Firefox and 
>>never asked for the change of default.)
>>
>>I cannot see anything other than effective regulation of the 
>>Internet to be able to check such excesses by Internet companies 
>>that are deeply compromising the openness of the Internet (sticking 
>>here to only to the subject of openness of the Internet, used in 
>>above appeal by Google).
>>
>>So, lets be honest, it is not about people versus ITU, not even, 
>>Google versus ITU, or even Google versus content regulation; it is 
>>Google versus any regulation of the Internet space so that Google, 
>>and similarly positioned dominant players, can have a free run over 
>>the economic, social and political resources of the world.
>>
>>It is very important to wage the needed struggles to keep 
>>Internet's content free from undue statist controls. But one needs 
>>to be careful about whom one chooses as partners, nay, leaders of 
>>the campaign. Remember, the lessons from the net neutrality 
>>campaign in the US which was sold cheap by those who assumed its 
>>leadership. Also, have no doubt whatsoever that ACTAs and PIPAs 
>>will come back in new forms, accommodating the interests of the big 
>>Internet companies that led the opposition in the first round. 
>>(Anyone wanting to take a bet on this! :) ) And. when the second 
>>round happens, since 'our leaders' would have crossed over, there 
>>wouldnt be much fight left to give.
>>
>>For sure, make opportunistic, tactical, alliances, but civil 
>>society needs to be careful not to abandon leadership of public 
>>interest causes to players who cannot but become turncoat and, 
>>well, betray, - sooner or later getting into bed with whoever is 
>>economically and politically powerful around to help their business 
>>prosper. Such is the structural logic of big business. Let them 
>>stick to what they do best - organise productive forces of the 
>>world. Leave public interest causes to public interest players - 
>>civil society and governments. However, if the sentiment is simply 
>>overflowing, maybe just donate some money to such causes, in an 
>>arms- lenght /hands-off approach vis a vis managing the precise 
>>activities involved. I simply dont fancy corporate-led 'public 
>>interest' campaigns.
>>
>>One was stuck by the number of Google organised panels at the Baku 
>>IGF, where they openly took part and gave their policy pitch. As a 
>>participant from Pakistan said at a workshop ' I find a Google 
>>representative at every panel that I am at'. Such brash presence at 
>>policy forums and taking strong policy positions by corporates is a 
>>relatively new game, and to my mind not a welcome thing for our 
>>democracies. I keep hoping that civil society would give this 
>>phenomenon a deeper thought and analysis, rather than just riding 
>>the bandwagon.
>>
>>parminder
>>
>>On Wednesday 21 November 2012 04:47 AM, Fouad Bajwa wrote:
>>>Just saw Google's Fight the ITU/WCIT website
>>>
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/en/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/fr/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/es/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/ar/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/pt-BR/takeaction/
>>>https://www.google.com/intl/ru/takeaction/
>>>
>>>(thanks to a colleague for sharing!)
>>>
>>
>

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