(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

During the workshop "The Rising Power of Search-Engines on the Internet: Impacts on Users, Media Policy, and Media Business" that took place in Berlin on 26-27 June 2006, the experts expressed the opinion that the search engines should be more regulated.

Marcel Machill, a lecturer in journalism at Germany's Leipzig and Dortmund universities stated that Google along with Yahoo and MSN were the main source of information searches for 90% of the Germans, Google alone accounting for 70%. He expressed serious concern related to the power of the search engines that would be unconceivable in the classic media. Machill as well as other experts considers Google should have the same responsibility as other publishers not to allow access to illegal sites, such as those with neo-Nazi content or x-rated ones and that mechanisms must be created to protect children online and to address illegal content.

"Even if not targeted directly, browsing, surfing, or following suggestions from search engines may lead to material containing unwanted, troublesome, offensive, as well as surprising or amusing material. To be able to profit from this opportunity, while still allowing for the protection of children and for selective approaches to information gathering and communication, is one of the most important tasks in further developing the internet." said Machill.

Machill also added that last year, the German subsidiaries of search engine operators agreed to voluntarily filter sites with x-rated content or those that incite to violence out of their results lists and that the Government had to know how the search companies operate and had to regulate them if necessary.

However, according to Norbert Schneider, director of the North Rhine Westphalia, the voluntary obligation to filter sites will have no effect considering it just a "weak regulation without any sanctions".

Machill also suggested the foundation of a public corporation in Europe to counterbalance the power of the US search engines.

Google's position was expressed by public relations head Rachel Whetstone who reaffirmed that the search engine was no newspaper or broadcasting company and that they only applied an algorithm. She also stated that while Google observed the local laws regarding the results displayed, they did not wish to be the ones to decide on what people were supposed to see or not.

The Rising Power of Search-Engines on the Internet: Impacts on Users, Media Policy, and Media Business
http://www.uni-leipzig.de/journalistik/suma/home_e.html

German Experts Criticize Google's Power (28.06.2006)
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2071471,00.html

German experts want search engines to be monitored (30.06.2006)
http://www.theregister.com/2006/06/30/google_too_powerful/