CEO Sundar Pichai on new social media rules

Google is committed to complying with local laws and engages constructively with governments as they scrutinise and adopt the regulatory frameworks to keep pace with the fast-evolving technology landscape, CEO Sundar Pichai said on Thursday.

“It’s obviously early days, and our local teams are very engaged… we always respect local laws in every country we operate in, and we work constructively. We have clear transparency reports. When we comply with government requests, we highlight that in our transparency reports,” Pichai said in a virtual conference with select reporters from the Asia Pacific.

He added that a free and open internet is “foundational,” and that India has long traditions of that.

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“As a company, we are very clear about the values of a free and open internet and the benefits it brings, and we advocate for it, and we engage constructively with regulators around the world, and we participate in these processes, I think it’s a part of how we learn,” Pichai told reporters.

He added that the company respects the legislative processes, and in cases where it needs to push back, it does so. “It’s a balance we have struck around the world,” he said.

Pichai noted that technology is touching society in deeper and broader ways, and the landscape is evolving at a fast pace.

“So, we fully expect governments rightfully to both scrutinise and adopt regulatory frameworks. Be it in Europe with copyright directive, or India with information…

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