Google says its products make relevant info readily accessible for users globally

Google on Thursday mentioned its merchandise throughout Search, Android and YouTube make “relevant information” readily accessible for customers globally, and its algorithms make sure that high-quality content material surfaces in response to person queries.

The assertion comes towards the backdrop of the corporate showing earlier than a parliamentary panel on Thursday.

The panel, headed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, questioned “neutrality” of Google when it’s engaged in each promoting and content material, and requested was it not violating elementary rights of customers by “controlling” their selections.

“Our goal is to create the best possible products for users, from Search to Android to YouTube, making relevant information readily accessible around the world. Every year, we issue hundreds of improvements to our algorithms so as to ensure they surface high quality content in response to user queries,” a Google spokesperson mentioned in an e-mailed assertion.

The spokesperson added that the corporate welcomed the chance to assist policymakers perceive its enterprise and the work it does to “keep the Internet open and support the calls for comprehensive, baseline privacy regulation”. “We believe that regulation can support a dynamic marketplace for businesses of all types and sizes. We sincerely hope this consultative process will help the Committee achieve its objective of protecting the interests of citizens and promoting innovation,” the spokesperson mentioned.

Gitanjali Duggal, Google’s director and head of authorized in India; Aman Jain, head of presidency affairs and public coverage; and Rahul Jain, supervisor of public coverage and authorities relations, appeared earlier than the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Personal Data Protection Bill and responded to queries associated to knowledge safety.

Members of the panel, together with Congress MP Vivek Tankha, BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar and BJD MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab and Amar Patnaik, posed quite a lot of queries to Google representatives.

According to sources, some panel members requested them the search engine is “controlling the choices of your users, isn’t it violation of fundamental rights?” During the assembly, MPs reducing throughout social gathering traces requested how can Google be a “neutral platform” when it’s engaged in each promoting and content material, and the way is it potential that it doesn’t give “preferential treatment” to some advertisers in search outcomes, the sources mentioned.

Some members additionally posed questions whether or not knowledge being processed and saved within the nation of origin or someplace exterior, the sources added.

Noting that Google has a wider presence and obtainable on totally different varieties on the net, some members mentioned it “has the power to affect the choices of its users” and that must be checked.

Besides Google, representatives of Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Paytm have deposed earlier than the panel.

Representatives of telecom operators Reliance Jio and Airtel and cab aggregators Ola and Uber have been requested to seem earlier than it.

The committee is inspecting the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.

The Personal Data Protection Bill was launched within the Lok Sabha by Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 11, 2019. The Bill seeks to offer for defense of non-public knowledge of people and institution of an information safety authority for a similar.

The Bill was later referred to a joint choose committee of each Houses of Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks bar on storing and processing of non-public knowledge by entities with out the express consent of a person. PTI SR HRS