Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
Making the web work for Germany
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
When our Vice President
Matt Brittin
first visited Berlin it was 1985 and he was a competitor in the Rowing World Championships. The city, then divided, is now reunited as the capital of one of the world’s most prosperous countries and Matt was delighted to return to give a keynote speech today in front of 700 distinguished guests at an exciting conference called
Kompetenzzentrum Wirtschaftsrat
.
This year’s conference focuses on the significant economic opportunities offered by the Internet. If Germany is going to keep up with its remarkable economic record, Matt told the audience that the country will need to win on the Internet. The good news, he added, is that German business has already started to use the web well, in fact a 2011
study by Bitkom
found that 11% of German GDP and jobs depended on businesses using the web.
Matt Brittin speaks in Berlin
Matt greets German Minister of Economics and Technology Philipp Rosler
Small businesses are leading the way. a bakery from Dresden that sells Christmas cakes, has used web advertising to expand beyond its one local shop - and export to Japan, Mexico, Canada and more. Large industrial businesses are also waking up to the opportunity. Matt spoke about how he recently visited Wolfsburg, home to Volkswagen, where 2.1 million people visited its showroom last year. Around the world people searched Google for VW and their models over five billion times, and viewed the company’s videos on YouTube more than 170 million times.
German industry is also proving adept at experimenting with new business models that take advantage of digital possibilities. A good illustration is
“Drive Now”
, the car-sharing business that’s a partnership between BMW and Sixt. Berlin is now considered to be home to among the
world’s most vibrant and fastest growing startup scenes
, and no wonder when you look at some of the businesses emerging:
SoundCloud
, launched in 2008, now claims to be world’s largest online community of artists, bands, podcasters and anyone creating music and audio content.
The potential for making the web work for growth, innovation and culture are tremendous and the Internet would be a poorer place if Germany were not to take up these opportunities. We at Google have recently called for more moonshot thinking - proposals that address huge problems by suggesting radical solutions that use breakthrough technology to make it happen. With a rich history of innovation from renowned carmaker Karl Benz to telecommunications pioneer Werner von Siemens it is about time for the next moonshot made in Germany, powered by the web.
Posted by Sandro Gianella, Public Policy & Government Relations Analyst, Berlin
Transforming Turkey’s economy through the Internet
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Turkey represents a dramatic economic success story. While much of the rest of the world struggled with recession in 2011, its GDP expanded by 8.5 percent. Growth continued last year, with the OECD estimated at 2.9 percent, more than twice the OECD average. Within a decade, Turkey aims to become one of world’s the ten biggest economies.
To achieve this ambitious goal, we’re convinced that the country needs to embrace the Internet. The Turkish Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz, the US Ambassador to Turkey Francis J. Ricciardone, and a wide representation from the Turkish business and civil society recently joined us to launch Boston Consulting Group's report Turkey Online:
How the Internet Is Transforming The Turkish Economy
.
The study contained both promising news about the Internet’s impact in Turkey - and, crucially, recommendations on how to improve.
First the good news: the share of Turkish households with online access soared to 47.2 percent in 2012, up from 19.7 percent in 2007. Turkey’s Internet economy is expected to grow by 19 percent annually through 2017.
Much remains to be done. The Internet contributes an estimated 22 billion Turkish Lira to GDP - a mere 1.7% of Turkey’s overall GDP. A deep digital divide exists, with Istanbul and Ankara ahead in adopting the Internet while eastern Anatolia lags.
How could Turkey do better? Boston Consulting urges swift government action to bring the entire country online, by encouraging private-public partnerships and increasing school programs that teach digital literacy. Efficient e-government services should be built. Such initiatives will encourage entrepreneurs to improve productivity by using e-procurement and other web-based services.
As Turkey’s economy grows and mature, it needs to move from a manufacturing-based to an information-oriented society. Policy makers have a key part to play in creating an environment that unleashes the Internet’s growth opportunities.
Posted by Pelin Kuzey, Public Policy & Government Relations Manager Turkey
Help French startups flourish - and keep them at home
Monday, March 18, 2013
For three years now, we have been supporting an exciting project in France called
Le Camping
. Each six months, 12 new startups are chosen to “camp” in what used to be the offices of the French Stock Exchange.
Mentors
, entrepreneurs and engineers, coach the “campers,” teaching them how to develop their business and find start-up funds.
We just have launched
Season Four
and this seemed a good time to take stock. In
Season One
,
Two
, and
Three
, a total of 36 startups have created about 160 jobs and raised EUR5 million. About half the campers succeed in obtaining funding to get off the ground.
But we noticed one disturbing trend. More and more of these startups are leaving France.
Onefeat
, a social game, has moved to San Francisco, and
Oleapark
, a networking tool, is based in Berlin. We fear many others will also leave because, among other reasons, they find elsewhere other locations offer cheaper facilities, lower taxes or more easily obtained VC funding.
How to get them to stay? One requirement is to improve access to office space in Paris. The French government recently
announced
plans to create a Parisian neighborhood dedicated to startups. A public consultation has been called to decide what facilities will be offered.
Google supports this project
and has already invested almost EUR1 million in a new building similar to our
London Campus
.
Enthusiasm in France for startups seems to be growing. More than 180 candidates showed up for Season Four's launch. They presented ideas for new products and services. Let’s hope that they find an environment for creating their own companies - and seeing them flourish in France.
Posted by Elisabeth Bargès, Public Policy Manager Innovation, France
Debating public safety while preserving personal freedom
Thursday, March 14, 2013
It’s a tricky balance. Governments need to be effective in fighting crime, and while theft, trafficking and terrorism have existed for centuries, the Internet has accelerated the speed and volume at which crime can be conducted. At the same time, the Internet has become a powerful force in promoting free speech and personal freedom. What is the right balance between public safety and personal freedom? How much access should police have to user emails and other information on the Net?
We’ve asked a number of experts to debate this theme of freedom and security on the Internet today at the
Big Tent in Stockholm
. Along with the
Civil Rights Defenders
,
Europol
,
Privacy International
, and
Transparency International
, we’ll be hosting members of the intelligence and research communities, law enforcement and civil society. All will share their observations and thoughts about how governments and companies should prosecute crime and guarantee rights to free expression and privacy in the information age.
We’re especially pleased that
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
will be joining us for this conversation. Sweden has one of the world’s oldest traditions of freedom of speech, and its government is a leader in using Internet tools to support democracy and freedom.
Every government has a responsibility to keep its citizens safe. Without data and analysis, it’s hard to tell if officials have the right tools to effectively investigate and stop crime online. We hope that this discussion will present hard facts on issues such as expanding lawful access provisions, prioritizing funds to keep up with rapidly advancing technology, and greater government transparency so that citizens can hold officials accountable for how they exercise policing powers.
For a preview of Thursday’s conversation, check out this Google+ Hangout that I did yesterday with former Index on Censorship chairman John Kampfner.
Posted by Ross LaJeunesse, Global Head of Free Expression and International Relations
Sharing stories of Bletchley Park: home of the code-breakers
Thursday, March 14, 2013
For decades, the World War II codebreaking centre at Bletchley Park was one of the U.K.’s most closely guarded secrets. Today, it’s a poignant place to visit and reflect on the achievements of those who worked there. Their outstanding feats of intellect, coupled with breakthrough engineering and dogged determination, were crucial to the Allied victory—and in parallel, helped kickstart the computing age.
We’ve long been keen to help
preserve
and
promote
the importance of Bletchley Park. Today we’re announcing two new initiatives that we hope will bring its story to a wider online audience.
First, we’re welcoming the
Bletchley Park Trust
as the latest partner to join
Google’s Cultural Institute
. Their
digital exhibit
features material from Bletchley’s archives, providing a vivid snapshot of the work that went on cracking secret messages and the role this played in shortening the war. Included are
images of the Bombe machines
that helped crack the
Enigma code
; and of
Colossus
, the
world’s first programmable electronic computer
, used to crack the German High Command code—including
this message
showing the Germans had been successfully duped about the location for the D-Day invasion.
Second, as a followup to
our film about Colossus
, we’re pleased to share a personal story of
the Bombe
, as told by one of its original operators,
Jean Valentine
. Women like Jean made up the majority of Bletchley Park’s personnel—ranging from cryptographers, to machine operators, to clerks. In her role operating the Bombe, Jean directly helped to decipher messages encoded by Enigma. In this film Jean gives us a firsthand account of life at Bletchley Park during the war, and demonstrates how the Bombe worked using a replica machine now on show at the museum.
We hope you enjoy learning more about Bletchley Park and its fundamental wartime role and legacy. For more glimpses of history, explore the Cultural Institute’s other exhibitions on
www.google.com/culturalinstitute
.
Posted by Marzia Niccolai, Technical Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute
Final call for summer policy fellowship applications
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
This Friday is the last day to apply for the 2013
Google Policy Fellowship
-- all applications must be submitted by March 15, 2013 at midnight Pacific Standard Time. Please visit the
website
for application and program details. Available positions in Europe and Africa were described in this previous
blogpost
.
The Google Policy Fellowship supports students and organizations working on the critical technology policy issues of our time. Fellows will have the opportunity to work at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, open government, and more. The Google Policy Fellowship is open to students of all levels and disciplines.
Good luck on your application!
Posted by Kate Sheerin, Policy Analyst
A new free expression dialogue with European telecoms
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
We wake up every day at Google asking ourselves: how can we get more information to more people around the world? Unfortunately, officials in too many governments wake up every day asking themselves: how can we stop our people from getting more information?
Those opposing questions lay at the heart of our
decision
back in 2008 to be a founding member company of the
Global Network Initiative
(GNI). The GNI is a group of companies, human rights groups and NGOs, socially responsible investors and academics that works to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector.
From the beginning, we hoped that the GNI would find common ground with other companies and groups around the world. And today we’re happy to report that the GNI is
entering into a two-year collaboration
with a group of eight European telecommunications firms to “find a shared and practical approach to promoting freedom of expression and privacy rights around the world.”
The eight firms — Alcatel-Lucent, France Telecom-Orange, Millicom, Nokia Siemens Networks, Telefonica, Telenor, TeliaSonera, and Vodafone — provide services and equipment in scores of countries.
The firms, known collectively as the
Telecommunications Industry Dialogue
, have been meeting among themselves since 2011 to discuss freedom of expression and privacy rights in their sector, and have developed a set of guiding principles. Under the new partnership, they are not joining GNI — but the GNI will house the Industry Dialogue’s work and provide a place where members of both groups can learn from each other, develop new ideas, and collaborate in protecting and advancing user privacy and freedom of expression.
For the Industry Dialogue, we hope the arrangement will give the eight companies the chance to see the advantages we’ve found in an alliance that goes beyond industry and includes NGOs and others. For the GNI — a group born of the conviction that there is strength in numbers and a diverse membership — the arrangement marks a concrete step to building a broader and more global platform to help protect user rights.
Posted by Bob Boorstin, Director, Public Policy, and Lewis Segall, Senior Ethics and Compliance Counsel
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