[governance] Re: [bestbits] Google's growing web of influence

[Norbert Bollow]

Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
> On Sunday 20 October 2013 05:40 AM, Norbert Bollow wrote:
> > Google is definitely working with determination and a long-term
> > strategy to shape the public discourse as much as possible in its
> > favor, and its civil society funding activities are part of this
> > strategy
> >
> > http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/how-google-lobbies-german-government-over-internet-regulation-a-857654.html
> >
> > http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?288214
>
> Around the same time last year a similar analysis came out of how
> google was trying to (rather effectively) capture the IG related
> civil society discursive and advocacy space in Germany ...
> 
> http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/how-google-lobbies-german-government-over-internet-regulation-a-857654.html 
> 
> Your choice of the email subject line suggests that you know of this 
> german news item, but just in case...

This sounds like you may have been looking only at the second of the
two links that I posted. :-)

Anyway I also have first hand knowledge of what Microsoft and Google
are doing in Switzerland (they do it in different areas, Microsoft in
regard to software used in the public school/education system), and of
how way too many people are naïvely going along with it. Very much
banana republic like. 

> If google can do such a thing in a rather mature institutional system
> of Germany, we can well judge what would it be like in places with
> less mature social institutions.. I know that in countries ranging
> from Korea to many countries in Africa, also of course in Asia and
> Latin America, Google is aggressively throwing in funds for IG civil
> society groups.

While I do not have any significant first hand knowledge in regard to
those parts of the world, what you're writing here sounds extremely
plausible -- and scary!!! 

Greetings,
Norbert


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