The German government wants to "plunge" it Google to reveal more details about the famous secret algorithm behind the company's quests.
This initiative will certainly delight Google's competitors, but the US company is expected to deny it stubbornly.
In an interview with Financial Times, the German Minister of Justice Haik Maas stressed that Google must be "more transparent" about the algorithm it uses to rank user search results, as this ranking has significant positive or negative effects on a user, company, or country.
The German tough stance goes hand in hand with - and incites - the similar attitude of the European Commission, which does not show a compromise with Google in the controversy that has begun with her, accusing her of exploiting her dominant position in the online marketplace internationally.
"Ultimately, it's all about how transparent the algorithms Google uses to sort its search results. When a machine searchhas such an impact on economic growth, this is an issue we need to sort out", said Haiko Maas, who is also responsible for consumer protection. "We all use the internet and we know that whoever is not at the top of the search results is as if it does not exist", he added.
Google's critics believe that Google's secret "weapon", its search algorithms, are being "manipulated" to harm its competitors, which is why they are calling for greater transparency. Google counters that doing so would expose its search engine to a deluge of spam, while insisting it can't give away its trade secrets to rivals for free.
Google has a 90% to 95% share of the search market in the European Union, compared to 68% in the US. That is why, as the German minister mentioned, "Google's power over consumers and market players is impressive. We need to look at what preventive measures should be taken so that this power does not become a tool of abuse ". Haiko Maas has come to the point of saying that Google's "split" can be considered as a "last resort."
After his revelations Edward Snowdon (and not only) about online espionage and in Europe on behalf of the American secret services (mainly the NSA), the German government seems determined to promote stricter regulations on the protection of the personal data of European users and European state secrets.
Source: tovima.gr
