{"id":102455,"date":"2017-11-27T12:00:37","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=102455"},"modified":"2017-11-23T11:47:36","modified_gmt":"2017-11-23T11:47:36","slug":"what-makes-googles-eric-schmidt-so-afraid-and-what-should-he-be-afraid-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/11\/what-makes-googles-eric-schmidt-so-afraid-and-what-should-he-be-afraid-of\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes Google\u2019s Eric Schmidt so Afraid? And What Should He Be Afraid of?"},"content":{"rendered":"

21 Nov 2017 – <\/em>OK, it\u2019s from Russia Today<\/a> so you should of course not trust it but somehow this video and text<\/a> and the man in it seems quite factual, not fake and obviously not omitted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It documents that Eric Emerson Schmidt<\/a>, the Executive Chairman of Alphabet<\/a> \u2013 an American multinational conglomerate that owns a lot and among them Google \u2013 is working on \u201cde-ranking\u201d alleged propaganda outlets such as Russia Today, RT \u2013 the world\u2019s third largest television network \u2013 and Sputnik.<\/p>\n

Who is Eric Schmidt?<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the Wikipedia link you can read more about Mr. Schmidt<\/a>, one of the richest person on earth, an advocate of net neutrality, a corporate manager and owner of a lot, a collector of modern art, etc. And you can read about his heavy involvement with Hillary Clinton\u2019s recent campaign and the Obama administration and about Schmidt\u2019s involvement with Pentagon, too.<\/p>\n

Eric Emerson Schmidt\u2019s name is associated with the world\u2019s largest and most systematic data collecting search engine, Google, that millions upon millions use. School children, teachers, parents, media people, politicians and you and I all daily \u201cgoogle\u201d what we need to know.<\/p>\n

While we do that, Google tracks everything about us and if you are searching for a thing to buy, say a camera, be sure that camera ads will shortly after turn up on your screen. And they know everything we are interested in through our \u201cgoogling\u201d including political interests and hobbies.<\/p>\n

Playing God<\/strong><\/p>\n

This very powerful corporate leader with a open political orientation has decided – as will be seen 58 seconds into the video \u2013 that the Internet and his hugely dominating search engine,<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. shall cave in to political pressure,<\/li>\n
  2. de-rank at least these two Russian media organizations because<\/li>\n
  3. he knows they are<\/em> \u201cpropaganda outlets\u201d (it isn\u2019t discussed at all or compared with US or other countries\u2019 media) and<\/li>\n
  4. in the name of political correctness it is OK to limit the freedom of opinion-formation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In fact, he says in a few words that he \u2013 well, not he himself but a computer program and mechanism called an algorithm \u2013 shall decide what you are I shall be able to find. Google as Good, Google as God.<\/p>\n

    Conspicuously, his de-ranking<\/em> \u2013 read censorship \u2013 policy shall not hit media (as far as we can understand from this clip at least and not from this backgrounder<\/a> either) that have, for instance, been using fake news and planted stories, omitted facts and perspectives and sources and told us propaganda and worse about, say, US wars around the world.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s Russia\u2019s media. And naturally you ask: Whose next? And where does that end? (\u201cWherever they burn books, in the end will also burn human beings.\u201d \u2013 Heinrich Heine).<\/p>\n

    Obvious human rights violation<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This type of political paternalism is not only totally unethical and foolish, it\u2019s a violation of human rights. It cannot be defended with the argument that other countries and media outlets also use propaganda. The Western world \u2013 the U.S. in particular \u2013 calls itself \u2018the free world\u201d and gladly, without the slightest doubts, fights and kills to spread that freedom around the world and has done so for decades.<\/p>\n

    We humans have right to information without interference \u2013 at least if international law counts. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/a> states states that \u201cEveryone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.\u201d<\/p>\n

    You abuse power, Mr. Schmidt<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Mr Schmidt, you are blatantly and clearly interfering in the rights of millions, if not billions, to know. To seek information. To shape their opinions.<\/p>\n

    With your few words you abuse your almost unlimited digital, political, economic and \u2018defence\u2019 power \u2013 much much worse than if you had sexually abused just one woman for which older men today are fired or choose to resign.<\/p>\n

    This has to be stated irrespective of whether we like or dislike Russia and its media. That is not<\/em> the issue here. This has to be fought against because it is slippery slope, Mr Schmidt.<\/p>\n

    You ought to stand up and use your powers with principles and vision: To protect the Internet against every and each reduction of freedom. Freedom for all, also the fake news-makers however we define them. Yes, there is another solution for that problem and it is not your paternalism.<\/p>\n

    It just cannot be for you to decide what is good for others and collect data about us all which is only good for you.<\/p>\n

    Has the West really become so insecure about itself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Censorship \u2013 de-ranking \u2013 and information warfare is not the solution to anything. A strong society or culture that believes in its own moral value and vitality does not censor. Dictatorships \u2013 \u201cregimes\u201d \u2013 do.<\/p>\n

    Mr. Schmidt has much more power than many state leaders but he is not up to it and how would he be able to re<\/em>-rank themes and media again in the future.<\/p>\n

    Has the West, the US and Western culture become so weak, so trembling at the sight of the global future and so morally deranged that it cannot live with \u2013 does not believe it can compete factually and intelligently with \u2013 other views? With fake? With propaganda by others? If so, that is where the Soviet Union was in the early 1980s. And if so, watch the writing of the Western walls!<\/p>\n

    Education and trust<\/strong><\/p>\n

    There are much better solutions \u2013 if you think. Mr. Schmidt may also google them\u2026<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s education<\/em> \u2013 education of young and old to learn to identify what is trustworthy and what is not. Learning to learn on the Internet. It is dialogue<\/em> and it is dignity<\/em> \u2013 instead of succumbing to the lowest of levels that he accuses others of being at.<\/p>\n

    And there are more solutions.<\/p>\n

    Making democracy, freedom and human rights stronger<\/em> \u2013 by believing in human beings<\/em>, their intelligence and solidarity. When Google de-ranks, it de-humanises. It offends the intelligence of the world\u2019s users of the Google search engine.<\/p>\n

    It sinks to the low level where fakers and liars are \u2013 devoid of morals but passionate about selling a particular message even if totally unfounded.<\/p>\n

    What are you so afraid of, Mr. Schmidt?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If I were Eric Schmidt think I would be afraid of being perceived as a \u201cuseful idiot\u201d or an an evil operator on behalf of US militarism \u2013 since he is targeting Russia in a the new Cold War atmosphere.<\/p>\n

    After all is\/was a member<\/a> also of various US government security and Pentagon related boards. And after all, he spoke at the Halifax Security Forum<\/a> filled with military defence people and hardliners who see only Russia, North Korea and Iran as problems, never the US itself. One of the panels deals with the \u201cPost-Putin Prep\u201d!<\/p>\n

    Regime change in Russia too in the future and with truthful news from Google?<\/p>\n

    Mr. Schmidt and his corporate fellows should also be afraid that millions will become more sympathetic to Russia Today, Sputnik and even Russia itself precisely because of his words.<\/p>\n

    There are no wars on the ground without information war. If Schmidt\u2019s Google fights political wars with de-ranking, many of us will be de-parting to more peaceful, rights-respecting and ethical search engines than his. So until further:<\/p>\n

    #BoycottGoogleSearch<\/a><\/p>\n

    _______________________________________<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>TFF Director Prof. Jan Oberg is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Go to Original \u2013 blog.transnational.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    21 Nov 2017 – This very powerful corporate leader with an open political orientation has decided that the Internet and his hugely dominating search engine,
    \na)\tshall cave in to political pressure,
    \nb)\tde-rank at least these two Russian media organizations because
    \nc)\the knows they are \u201cpropaganda outlets\u201d (it isn\u2019t discussed at all or compared with US or other countries\u2019 media) and
    \nd)\tin the name of political correctness it is OK to limit the freedom of opinion-formation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":102456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}