The dark side of Google: how the Internet giant is violating the laws and works for the White House
Google, founded in 1998, is known for the convenient search in the Internet and not applications. The unofficial slogan of the Internet giant were the words “don't be evil”, but the company itself does not always follow such a humane message. Ruposters decided to talk about how Google systematically violates the laws of different countries and human rights, and its leaders enjoyed favor with the political elite of the USA.
Tax evasion and violation of the Anti-monopoly legislation
Last year and a half, Google has been a difficult one over the other country in the world excite against it criminal cases because of tax evasion and violation of antitrust laws. Moreover, representatives of the Corporation itself each time assure that in the company of revere tax laws of the countries where it operates, but over and over again the facts speak otherwise. The Internet giant finds ways around to save on taxes, mainly due to recording of transactions in other countries.
In April 2015 the European Commission has put forward formal charges against Google in violation of antitrust laws of the EU. The Board considers that the company may abuse its dominant position, including: to distort the data for search results and make it difficult for developers porting advertising campaigns to other services.
In may 2012 Brussels went to the Google leadership with the offer of pre-trial settlement, but the company refused the offer (this has been the usual response to such proposals). If the European Commission decides that the company violated antitrust rules, it can be fined up to 10% of annual turnover, which in 2014 was $66 billion.
It is interesting that the charge of violation of the Anti-monopoly legislation was reinforced by the facts that emerged in the framework of another case. During the proceedings in the case “Oracle Corp.” vs “Google” (about it - below) it was found that the latter paid $1 billion IT giant - Apple. Since then, all iPhone and iPad by default, the search is done using Google.
The Italian authorities also suspect the Internet giant in unfair allocations of taxes to the budget of the country. According to Italian journalists, Google charged that from 2008 to 2013 has concealed income by size of 800 million euros.
Within a few months, the financial police of Italy and Google had talks in which law enforcement agencies asked the company to pay 150-200 million euros, however Google has not agreed to these terms.
Although the rejection of pre-trial proceedings - not the constant practice of the Corporation. At the end of January it became known that with the UK the issue was solved amicably. For systematic tax evasion over the 10 years, Google promised to pay $185 million to the government of England. However, this situation has led to unexpected consequences - an investigation of the company started in Australia. Australian Senator Nick Xenophon has demanded a thorough investigation into the activities of the Corporation: "If Google does not pay their fair share of taxes in the UK, it is fair to assume that the same problem exists here in Australia". Not far behind in terms of lawsuits and Russia. FAS intends to fine Google for 7% of the turnover of the app store and Google Play content on the territory of Russia for 2014. The penalty, which threatens Google, involves a violation of the law on protection of competition. The complaint was filed by the Russian company "Yandex": its representatives said that Google distributes its Android operating system on terms that allow to restrict the collaboration of mobile manufacturers with its competitors Google. Copyright infringement
In 2010 began one of the longest trials Google. In court it was filed by the company Oracle, which accused the Corporation to use the programming language Java in Android without permission. Until the court has sorted out who is right and who is wrong, the IT giant has captured the market for its operating system, and the plaintiff had to ask the U.S. Supreme court to review the case in connection with new circumstances. The court ultimately approved the request, and the matter began to consider the new. Interestingly, from the moment of submission of the claim to the current time position of Google in the market has increased significantly, so the amount of damage (in Oracle initially estimated it at $1 billion) can repeatedly increase.
In Germany, Google also have problems - there against it from 2015 by local publishers. The reason for the lawsuits was “news snippets” - small pieces of text that appear in search results. Publishers didn't like that due to pieces of their content, the Corporation gets the benefit, but still free, and they are required to pay them 11% of revenue to Google for use from publications such snippets. This lawsuit is the fifth one already, and the previous was not successful.
And here in Spain a similar trial was decided in Google's favor. There in 2014 the local Congress decided to pay the fees news sites, and even in a more rigid form than would like to the German publishers. The result of the adoption of this law was the departure of Google News (Google news) from Spain and the exception of news Spanish publishers from all international versions of news aggregation.
Except FOR and news, Google violates the rights and the field of photography. In April of this year it became known that the owner of the largest stock photo Agency Getty Images has accused the Corporation in promoting “piracy”. According to him, the search engine in their handout shows users the photos on the website are only available for a fee. In Getty emphasize that until 2013 no such problems existed - Google showed images only in a small resolution. Now the situation has changed, and the results began to appear images in full resolution, which sells the Agency. Violation of the right to privacy A way to force Google to remove links to false information at the request of the user found by the French Commission on Informatics and the observance of freedoms (CNIL). Usually, the search engine used legal loopholes and exclude from search only the sites on the domains of EU countries, not removing the sites with the domains .com. These actions of Google are only partially fulfill users ' right to deletion of false information from search results.
Now in France, a 15-day period to apply the so-called "right to be forgotten" to search the entire database, not just in certain geographical lists. In other words, de-listing (removal information) must now be performed on all domains, regardless of the geography of use of a search engine. If Google violates the rule will face sanctions. In Russia in 2015 has revealed another violation of the right to privacy, which was essential for the company Google was accused of reading personal correspondence. The search engine has collected information from personal letters of the users and on the basis of information contained therein showed him contextual advertising. The result - a fine by the court in 50 thousand roubles.
It was not the first scandal with the post from the Internet giant. In November 2010 against the company were filed a major class-action lawsuits from users who have in the column “country of residence” indicated the United States. The lawsuit was filed on Google Buzz, launched in February 2010. After its launch, the company automatically signed of its users for this service, which gathered the latest Gmail contacts without notifying users. As a result, companies had to allocate $8.5 million to cover its expenses in connection with this claim. In 2010, the disgraced and the other service of the company Google Street View. In Germany the Minister of the rights of consumers felt that the company was collecting data for a service with serious violations, according to prosecutors, during the collection of the information Google collected information about wireless networks, so got the IP addresses of the users, and with them - e-mail address and the contents of the email correspondence users. In the company of such a gathering was called an accident, which, however, did not release her from liability.
The latest scandal occurred recently, in early may of this year. For information The Guardian, Google was able to obtain the data of 1.6 million British patients without their knowledge. It turned out that the data was received from one of the divisions of the Ministry of health of great Britain. Experts do not exclude that the information received may be not only the histories and data on visits to the hospitals, but also the names of the patients. For example, Sam Smith, a representative of the company Med-confidential, which deals with the protection of personal data of patients, doesn't understand why the Internet giant is so much information needed. Liaison with American intelligence agencies and the White House The journalists Wall Street Journal, learning logs at the residence of the American President, suddenly foundthat the management of the IT giant goes to the US President as a job. During the Obama presidency top executives of Google have been in the White house about 230 (!!!) times. Moreover, the peak of visits occurred in 2012, when the authorities were against the Corporation antitrust investigation.
On the close relations between the Internet giant and US authorities said, and the company's personnel policy. In January 2016, it became known that Google hired for the position of head of Department global policy, former White House economist and U.S. representative on the forums, G-20 and G-7 Carolina Atkinson. According to experts, the appointment of Atkinson should help Google in establishing warmer relations with European officials, which are quite rigidly follow company policy and periodically bringing her up on charges in monopolism.
This transition between the administration of the President of the United States and the Corporation was not the first. In 2014, Megan Smith, who left Google, he headed the Department of technology at the White House, and in 2009 the assistant to the head of the same Department was appointed ex-golovec Andrew McLaughlin. The exchange of staff takes place regularly since then, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Google, Eric Schmidt has endorsed Barack Obama in the presidential race in 2007 (he consulted on issues of technology and energy) while noting that this was his personal position and the company itself maintains political neutrality.
However, two months before the vote was that the Google employees on the Obama campaign donated $ 487 thousand, and in the campaign of his rival Senator McCain - only 20 thousand. Obama himself, in 2007 stated that his goal is “to explain to the lobbyists of the corporations that the time when they asked the agenda in Washington are over,”.
For information, Julian Assange, Google also cooperated with the state Department and the NSA - for the purpose of reaching foreign markets. Usually the company is not in debt remains: so Google has decided to give the US government data of WikiLeaks staff in the framework undertaken by American authorities to investigate. Most people whose data has been disclosed, Google notified about it almost 3 years later.
