Unlocking the Internet’s potential for SMEs

Here’s an unusual question: what do an agricultural exchange, time tracking software and a social radio start-up have in common? The answer is, of course, the Internet. Agroterra (from Spain), Timr (from Austria) and Spreaker (from Italy) are three young companies that use the Internet to create, distribute and market their products and services across Europe and around the world.

Their founders recently outlined their successes and challenges at the Google Brussels office during a seminar organised by PIN-SME, the small business association that represents over 50,000 SMEs in Europe’s ICT sector. The event focused on the importance of the Internet as a driver of innovation and competitiveness in Europe, a theme that the Commission identified earlier this year in its Digital Agenda and more recently in its Europe 2020 Innovation Union Flagship Initiative.

Speaking at the event, Joanna Drake, the European Commission’s SME envoy, highlighted how the Internet is currently underexploited by European small businesses - and emphasised the EU’s target of getting 33% of all SMEs to buy and sell online by 2015. She also outlined the EU’s efforts to promote innovative use of ICT and the Internet by entrepreneurs, and how the Small Business Act aims to help SMEs access global markets - and succeed on them.

Agroterra, Timr and Spreaker had some suggestions that they felt would help European SMEs perform better: better broadband access, especially in rural areas; better information on and harmonization of tax regimes; improved cross-border transactional systems; a single market for music rights; campaigns to build consumer trust in the Internet; and more help in learning to take advantage of the opportunities of the Internet.

At Google, we often hear about these sorts of challenges from the small businesses that use our services - from online advertising to cost-effective online applications such as Gmail, Calendar and Docs. Of course, the companies using our services have already launched themselves into the online world, but many entrepreneurs in Europe have not yet taken advantage of the potential of the Internet. Eurostat figures show that 85% of Danish small businesses already have a website, but in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and elsewhere, less than 55% are already online.

To help European SMEs bridge this digital divide and participate in the global online economy, we’re working with public- and private sector partners in the UK and in Poland. We’re running joint initiatives that make it easier for small businesses to get online for the first time, giving them a simple website and online tools - for free - that boost their sales and their long term growth.

The results speak for themselves: since the start of this year, nearly 90,000 British businesses with no prior online presence now have websites and are generating new opportunities for themselves. In Poland, more than 30,000 businesses have signed up since the campaign launched, and on average, a small business is going online for the first time every 20 minutes.

Posted by Sarah Greenwood, Policy Manager, Google Brussels

Google TechTalk: Tomorrow’s web and why the HTML5 standard matters

First conceived in 1990 by CERN scientist Tim Berners-Lee, HTML is the international standard used to create most of the websites and content that we enjoy online today. HTML has evolved and grown over the years and today, a new iteration - HTML5 - is approaching the final phase of the approvals process.

HTML5 is a radical departure from its predecessors and will enable web designers to create sites and applications that are more interactive and more graphically rich than ever before. It promises an end to websites and applications that only work in a particular browser or on a particular type of computer or cellphone.  And it will enable a whole new generation of innovative services for web users around the world.

At Google, we’ve been focusing heavily on HTML5 in our own research and development, even before the standard is fully approved. We firmly believe HTML5 will drive the web forward, help keep it open and equally accessible for all, and deliver great benefit to individuals, businesses and governments around the world.

Tab Atkins, a member of Google’s HTML5 development team, will talk about the importance of open standards for tomorrow’s web, show some cutting-edge demonstrations of HTML5 web technology, and explain what the new standard might mean for Europe.

When: Friday, 29th October 12.15-13.45 CET
Where: Google Brussels | Chaussée D'Etterbeek 180 | 1040 Brussels
Registration: Please register here
Need another reason to come? There will be a delicious, Googley lunch (!)

About our Tech Talks: Ever wondered how exactly Google is tackling the big technology problems that the online world faces? Want to take a look behind the curtain of our engineering operations and learn from the people who actually work on the Google products and services day-in, day-out? Here's your chance: The Google Brussels TechTalks.


Posted by Angela Steen, Policy Analyst, Google

Eurostat and World Bank data now searchable on Google in 34 languages

Last year we launched a search feature that made it easy to find and visualise statistics and public data. Our data visualisation tools are designed to surface statistical information about a wide range of topics - from energy usage and the environment to health, education and the economy - and make complex datasets more accessible.

In the current economic environment, policymakers, academics and individuals around the world (and particularly in Europe) want to ensure that new rules and regulations are evidence-based. Interactive visualisations such as charts and maps allow raw data to be seen in context and give helpful new insights that can lead to better policies.

The data we made available last year in English was just a first step, and today we’re happy to share that we’re making a lot more public data searchable via Google - across 34 languages and Google domains.

We’ve been working closely with Eurostat to surface some really useful and interesting data about unemployment rates, government debt, minimum wage, and broadband penetration across Europe.

Try searching for [arbeitslosenstatistik deutschland], [smic france] or [deuda publica españa] to see examples of this data visualisation in action.

Clicking through, you can interact with the data and create comparisons among countries.

We’re also excited to share that the subset of the World Bank Development Indicators which we launched last November in English on google.com are also now available in search in 34 different languages and domains.  Try a search for [人口オーストラリア] (population Australia) on  [google.co.jp].  You can also find additional public statistics on a variety of topics in Public Data Explorer.

Eurostat and the World Bank have been making this data available to the public for quite some time and we’re thrilled to work with them to make it more searchable, in multiple languages.  

We believe that public data empowers people all around the world to make better informed, data-driven decisions that have positive effects at a personal and societal level. So it will be no surprise that we welcome the discussions taking place around the world at the moment about the potential of public data re-use.

Today and tomorrow, as part of its annual meeting, the World Bank is running a special online debate about the power of public data in international development.  And here in Europe, it’s great news that Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes also sees a lot of opportunity in public data re-use.  She’s currently holding a consultation on the PSI directive (first adopted in 2003) and you can share your views with the Commission until 30th November.

Posted by Mary Himinkool, Public Data Partnerships

Discussing free expression at Internet at Liberty 2010

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)


It’s not often that we get to step out of our everyday jobs and spend extended time engaging in global conversations about one of our fundamental values at Google: ensuring access to information.  For three days last week in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, we had that chance when more than 300 bloggers, activists, academics, government officials and representatives of non-profits and business convened for “Internet at Liberty 2010.” The conference, which we co-hosted with the Central European University, focused on “the promise and peril of online free expression” and the role of individuals, corporations and government in protecting free expression online.

The conference drew participants from 74 countries, including many from places where free expression is constantly under threat—such as Kazakhstan, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.  It drew a large contingent of bloggers and activists from the Middle East and representatives from both the Iranian and Chinese diasporas.  Our liveblog of the conference was followed by more than 3.3 million people around the world.

The issues at the heart of the gathering—and the challenges faced by free expression advocates the world over, were highlighted by our senior vice president, David Drummond, when in his opening remarks to the conference he quoted an email from an activist who could not obtain permission to attend “Internet at Liberty.”  The activist wrote:

Everywhere I turned, I was only talking to a repetition of the same monomaniac mind where all the keywords around the conference were defined as dangerous and forbidden: ‘liberty,’ ‘access,’ ‘Internet,’ ‘Google,’ and even such simple words as ‘university,’ ‘conference’ and ‘Europe.’ Upon a second investigation, I realized that they are not afraid of these things because of their intrinsic identity, but because they can transform me from a passive and obedient member of the mass to a free, critical, creative and active citizen.

Also at the conference, we introduced the Google Transparency Report, an interactive online site that allows users to see where governments are demanding that we remove content and where Google services are being blocked. (Read more in our blog post.) Other sessions included a debate on the question, “Is the potential of the Internet as a force for positive political change being oversold?” and workshops offering practical education and tools for lobbying governments on key issues.

Visit our website for the conference, which we plan to turn into a discussion and action forum for those who attended the conference and—we hope—thousands more.  Our aim is to bring together people who share the common goal of promoting free expression on the Internet.  We want to build constituencies behind key initiatives including helping individuals protect themselves online; promoting corporate and government transparency; finding the right balance between privacy and free expression; and making sure that platforms like Google aren’t held liable for content they host.

We’re committed to reaching far beyond the results of the Budapest conference and the banks of the Danube to help ensure that online free expression, like the Internet itself, knows no borders.

Posted by Bob Boorstin, Director, Public Policy

A Big Win for the Internet

Today a federal court in Madrid dismissed charges of copyright infringement against YouTube. This decision is a clear victory for the Internet and the rules that govern it. Spanish broadcaster Telecinco had claimed that YouTube should be liable when users upload copyright-infringing material.

The court rejected Telecinco’s claim, noting that YouTube offers content owners tools to remove copyright infringing content and this means that it is the responsibility of the copyright owner – not YouTube – to identify and tell YouTube when infringing content is on its website. This decision reaffirms European law which recognizes that content owners (not service providers like YouTube) are in the best position to know whether a specific work is authorised to be on an Internet hosting service and states that websites like YouTube have a responsibility to take down unauthorised material only when they are notified by the owner.

The law strikes a careful balance: it protects copyright owners’ interests while allowing platforms like YouTube to operate, making it possible – for example – for elected officials to interact with the public in new ways and enabling first-hand reporting from war zones.

This decision demonstrates the wisdom of European laws. More than 24 hours of video are loaded onto YouTube every minute. If Internet sites had to screen all videos, photos and text before allowing them on a website, many popular sites – not just YouTube, but Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and others – would grind to a halt.

YouTube and other websites give artists the opportunity to reach wider audiences than ever before and make money in the process. At the same time, people gain access to a wealth of creative content. We believe that letting websites like YouTube thrive is in the best interest of artists, publishers and consumers who can all benefit from the opportunities offered by hosting platforms.

YouTube respects copyright laws and wants to ensure that artists, publishers and media companies succeed online. That’s why we built Content ID; our technology is designed to prevent copyright abuses and give owners control over their content. The owner of a video simply gives us a copy and tells us what to do with an unauthorised upload: remove it, place ads next to it, or simply let them know that it’s been uploaded. Over 1,000 media companies, including Lagardère Active, Channel 4 and RAI in Europe currently use Content ID. And in Italy, all major broadcasters but one are using these tools.

We have always been open to working cooperatively with rightsholders and continue to grow our number of partnerships with content owners and hope to be able to work with Telecinco in the future in the spirit of copyright protection, content distribution and new opportunities.

Posted by Aaron Ferstman, Head of Communications for YouTube - Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Google TechTalk: Designing Privacy as a Product

Google has a whole group of engineers and product managers solely focused on developing innovative privacy features. Do you want to get an insider’s view into this team and the industry leading products they launched? What are the goals and principles leading their work? How do they "design for privacy"? How do they get users engaged? What are the challenges they face?

If you’d like to find out more, join us for a Google TechTalk given by Privacy Product Manager, Yariv Adan, entitled Designing Privacy as a Product". Yariv has spent three years focused on building innovative products that protect both your privacy and your data, and will provide his insights into the goals and challenges we face as a company today.

When: Monday, September 27th 12:15 - 13:45 hours CET
Where: Google Brussels | Chaussée D'Etterbeek 180 - Steenweg op Etterbeek 180 | 1040 Brussels
Registration: Please register here.
Need another reason to come? There’ll be a delicious, Googley lunch (!)

About our Tech Talks: Ever wondered how exactly Google is tackling the big technology problems that the online world faces? Want to take a look behind the curtain of our engineering operations and learn from the people who actually work on the Google products and services day-in, day-out? Here's your chance: The Google Brussels TechTalks

Posted by Angela Steen, Policy Analyst, Google

Trimming our privacy policies

Cross-posted from the Google Blog

Long, complicated and lawyerly—that's what most people think about privacy policies, and for good reason. Even taking into account that they’re legal documents, most privacy policies are still too hard to understand.

So we’re simplifying and updating Google’s privacy policies. To be clear, we aren’t changing any of our privacy practices; we want to make our policies more transparent and understandable. As a first step, we’re making two types of improvements:

1. Most of our products and services are covered by our main Google Privacy Policy. Some, however, also have their own supplementary individual policies. Since there is a lot of repetition, we are deleting 12 of these product-specific policies. These changes are also in line with the way information is used between certain products—for example, since contacts are shared between services like Gmail, Talk, Calendar and Docs, it makes sense for those services to be governed by one privacy policy as well.
2. We’re also simplifying our main Google Privacy Policy to make it more user-friendly by cutting down the parts that are redundant and rewriting the more legalistic bits so people can understand them more easily. For example, we’re deleting a sentence that reads, “The affiliated sites through which our services are offered may have different privacy practices and we encourage you to read their privacy policies,” since it seems obvious that sites not owned by Google might have their own privacy policies.

In addition, we’re adding:

• More content to some of our product Help Centers so people will be able to find information about protecting their privacy more easily; and
• A new privacy tools page to the Google Privacy Center. This will mean that our most popular privacy tools are now all in one place.

These privacy policy updates will take effect in a month, on October 3. You can see the new main Google Privacy Policy here, and if you have questions this FAQ should be helpful.

Our updated privacy policies still might not be your top choice for beach reading (I am, after all, still a lawyer), but hopefully you’ll find the improvements to be a step in the right direction.

Posted by Mike Yang, Associate General Counsel