Content Creators Coalition calls on Congress to question Google bosses over piracy

[Len]

American lobbying group the Content Creators Coalition, which has been particularly vocal in its criticism of Google and YouTube, has called on US Congress to question senior executives from the web giant, in much the same way they threw questions at Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg last month.

Zuckerberg was called to answer questions in Congress last month in response to the scandal around how Facebook user-date has been used by third parties. Though the fallout of Facebook’s data scandal has put renewed pressure on all the social media and web giants over how they police content and data on their platforms. That wider debate commonly covers privacy issues, so called fake news and – of most interest to music industry lobbyists – copyright infringement.

While Facebook swam in the same safe harbours as Google as it grew the video side of its operation – only recently starting to sign licensing deals with the music companies whose songs and recordings appear in many of those videos – Google has generally felt more heat over its policing – or not – of copyright infringing content. And while the music industry’s fiery relationship with Google’s YouTube has generally got more column inches, concerns remain over Google search’s role in helping to facilitate piracy.

Either way, the Content Creators Coalition – or C3 – reckons Google’s top execs should have to follow Zuckerberg in answering questions in Congress. It adds that several of the Congressmen who questioning the Facebook boss noted that issues around data and content online were not restricting to his business.

To that end, C3 has launched a video campaign calling on Congress to question some senior Googlers. It said yesterday: “In the wake of Congressional hearings featuring Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Content Creators Coalition today launched a digital ad asking Congress to investigate Google, beginning with hearings featuring similarly high-ranking executives”.

It went on: “C3 believes that matters concerning members of Congress about Facebook are only more pronounced with regard to Google, and the Coalition has in the past highlighted how Google’s abuse of its platform dominance has decimated the creative economy”.

C3’s video is online here