Google should be regulated: survey
The Age
Wednesday March 23, 2011
TWO-THIRDS of Australians believe internet search engine Google should be subject to government regulation on issues such as personal privacy.While people overwhelmingly (84 per cent) have a positive view of Google, polling by opinion research company UMR also found significant concerns. Google this week received its first ever fine from France's privacy watchdog for improperly gathering and storing data for its Street View application.Just under one-third (32 per cent) of Australians believe Google manipulates search results for its own benefit, while fewer than half (45 per cent) in the poll of 1000 say it does a good job respecting people's privacy. Nearly seven in 10 would oppose Google, which gets requests for data, passing on Australian information to US intelligence or law enforcement agencies.John Utting, UMR managing director, said there were "warning signs" that Australians' honeymoon with Google could turn to acrimony, and suggested it needed to demonstrate more transparency.
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