Author Archives: Matt Brittin

Matt Brittin on data, ethics, and privacy by design

The following is adapted from remarks delivered by Matt Brittin, President, Google EMEA, at UBA Trends Dayin Brussels, on data, ethics, and privacy by design.

I first accessed the internet in 1989 — the same year Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

Bright text on dark backgrounds listing links to other pages of text listing more links. Thirty years later, it’s something many of us take for granted. Half of humanity is online, using tools that we could never have dreamed of. It’s open, affordable and would have seemed magical to me as a student.

But, we’re running it all on a rule book that’s twenty years out of date; delight with the magic is tempered by concerns about how our data is used; and fears of technology being used for ill rather than for good.

A century of advertising

It’s often helpful to make sense of the future by understanding the past. Throughout history, advertising has helped make all kinds of media content affordable and accessible.

About a century ago, as the global middle class was growing, modern business could reach potential customers at an undreamed of scale. But reaching all those people — without knowing how many of them might be interested in your product — was expensive and inefficient.

Modern newspapers came up with ‘the bundle’ — ad space sold in specific sections like ‘Auto’ or ‘Fashion’. So that car companies could communicate directly to readers interested in cars; and coat sellers to readers interested in fashion.

Mass-market magazines created ways to target diverse interest sets — creating magazines or sections specifically for gardeners, those interested in the natural world, or science fiction.

And Broadcasting developed increasingly differentiated ‘genre entertainment’ — a novel form that helped advertisers segment and reach viewers based on assumptions about who was watching.

All of these inventions benefited our everyday lives — bringing us our favorite magazines, TV shows or newspapers. And with measurement and data, advertisers were reassured that they were getting value from the exercise too. Ads have long funded our favorite content, and they’ve always been targeted.

Preparing for the future

That’s what made Google Search possible. It’s free to use not because we target based on knowing anything about you — just that you are searching for cycling shoes in Brussels right now. It gives you advertising that’s relevant and useful — and privacy safe.

The web has brought an explosion of content and choice. And the chance to show a different ad to people reading the same article, or watching the same show.

But the question for the web in 2022 is whether this model of advertising is good enough. With more people managing more of their lives online than ever before, the web is going through a fundamental shift. Citizens want more online privacy and control — and for the services they use to earn, and be worthy of, their trust.

That means preparing for a future without third party cookies — by working with the industry to build and test new solutions in the Privacy Sandbox, like our latest proposal, the Topics API. Proposals that make advertising on the web more private and transparent — without needing to compromise on quality or content.

The importance of distributed computing

Now, reform also means regulation — clear tools and rules. We’re grateful to be getting a steer from regulators on a full range of issues, from cookies to online ads — and for the concern it shows for user privacy.

Of course, with increased regulation comes intense engagement. Today, some are questioning whether services like Google Analytics can be properly used in Europe under the GDPR. The concern is that because it’s run by an America-based company, Google Analytics can’t totally remove the possibility that the US government could demand access to user data.

This is a strictly hypothetical situation — because over the past 15 years, Google Analytics has never received a request of the kind speculated about in this case. While legal cases on this have only covered a few specific websites and their unique circumstances, there are others who are concerned that the same logic could be applied to any US-based provider or website — and indeed any EU-US data transfers.

Talk to anyone in the technical or security communities, and they will tell you that scaled cloud computing of the kind supporting these services makes data more secure, not less. Scale makes it easier to fight hackers, scammers and thieves — by expanding the signals needed to detect them. It’s how platforms can offer customers the greatest possible security and redundancy.

Today, Project Shield is a great example of that. It’s an advanced security technology that helps keep organizations safe from cyber attacks — particularly those designed to overwhelm small organizations with a flood of fake traffic.

We use Project Shield to protect at-risk organizations across the world, like news sites, human rights organizations or election monitors. Including in countries like Ukraine, where over 150 government and news websites are currently being kept safe and online by Project Shield and in surrounding countries affected by the war — so that they can continue to provide valuable information and services to people on the ground.

Here’s the kicker: like Google Analytics, the infrastructure that enables Project Shield relies on transatlantic data flows. We’re able to absorb massive attacks against individual websites by diffusing the traffic across a global network.

The very processes that enable Project Shield — a service that is protecting news and human rights organizations across Europe — are themselves considered suspect because they don’t adequately protect European users from the United States.

Towards a more responsible foundation

Of course, we understand that there are concerns about U.S. surveillance overreach — and we share them. Google has lobbied many years for U.S. government transparency, lawful processes, and surveillance reform — and continues to fight for protections for digital citizens outside the U.S.

We’ve done so while continuing in our belief that it is possible to advance international cooperation towards shared goals and against shared threats — and to build a future based on interests and values shared by democracies on both sides of the Atlantic.

For users, advertisers and tech, this shift towards a privacy-first internet will be a good thing.

Our studies have found that when users know that their privacy is respected, they respond with increased trust and interest. Users who feel they have control over their data are two times more likely to find content relevant; and three times more likely to react positively to advertising.

For online advertising, and the internet as a whole, this is a page-turning moment. We’re getting tools and rules. Legal clarity. Codes of practice. And a regulatory dialogue. A new future of advertising is coming: one that puts privacy front and center.

Matt Brittin on data, ethics, and privacy by design

The following is adapted from remarks delivered by Matt Brittin, President, Google EMEA, at UBA Trends Dayin Brussels, on data, ethics, and privacy by design.

I first accessed the internet in 1989 — the same year Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

Bright text on dark backgrounds listing links to other pages of text listing more links. Thirty years later, it’s something many of us take for granted. Half of humanity is online, using tools that we could never have dreamed of. It’s open, affordable and would have seemed magical to me as a student.

But, we’re running it all on a rule book that’s twenty years out of date; delight with the magic is tempered by concerns about how our data is used; and fears of technology being used for ill rather than for good.

A century of advertising

It’s often helpful to make sense of the future by understanding the past. Throughout history, advertising has helped make all kinds of media content affordable and accessible.

About a century ago, as the global middle class was growing, modern business could reach potential customers at an undreamed of scale. But reaching all those people — without knowing how many of them might be interested in your product — was expensive and inefficient.

Modern newspapers came up with ‘the bundle’ — ad space sold in specific sections like ‘Auto’ or ‘Fashion’. So that car companies could communicate directly to readers interested in cars; and coat sellers to readers interested in fashion.

Mass-market magazines created ways to target diverse interest sets — creating magazines or sections specifically for gardeners, those interested in the natural world, or science fiction.

And Broadcasting developed increasingly differentiated ‘genre entertainment’ — a novel form that helped advertisers segment and reach viewers based on assumptions about who was watching.

All of these inventions benefited our everyday lives — bringing us our favorite magazines, TV shows or newspapers. And with measurement and data, advertisers were reassured that they were getting value from the exercise too. Ads have long funded our favorite content, and they’ve always been targeted.

Preparing for the future

That’s what made Google Search possible. It’s free to use not because we target based on knowing anything about you — just that you are searching for cycling shoes in Brussels right now. It gives you advertising that’s relevant and useful — and privacy safe.

The web has brought an explosion of content and choice. And the chance to show a different ad to people reading the same article, or watching the same show.

But the question for the web in 2022 is whether this model of advertising is good enough. With more people managing more of their lives online than ever before, the web is going through a fundamental shift. Citizens want more online privacy and control — and for the services they use to earn, and be worthy of, their trust.

That means preparing for a future without third party cookies — by working with the industry to build and test new solutions in the Privacy Sandbox, like our latest proposal, the Topics API. Proposals that make advertising on the web more private and transparent — without needing to compromise on quality or content.

The importance of distributed computing

Now, reform also means regulation — clear tools and rules. We’re grateful to be getting a steer from regulators on a full range of issues, from cookies to online ads — and for the concern it shows for user privacy.

Of course, with increased regulation comes intense engagement. Today, some are questioning whether services like Google Analytics can be properly used in Europe under the GDPR. The concern is that because it’s run by an America-based company, Google Analytics can’t totally remove the possibility that the US government could demand access to user data.

This is a strictly hypothetical situation — because over the past 15 years, Google Analytics has never received a request of the kind speculated about in this case. While legal cases on this have only covered a few specific websites and their unique circumstances, there are others who are concerned that the same logic could be applied to any US-based provider or website — and indeed any EU-US data transfers.

Talk to anyone in the technical or security communities, and they will tell you that scaled cloud computing of the kind supporting these services makes data more secure, not less. Scale makes it easier to fight hackers, scammers and thieves — by expanding the signals needed to detect them. It’s how platforms can offer customers the greatest possible security and redundancy.

Today, Project Shield is a great example of that. It’s an advanced security technology that helps keep organizations safe from cyber attacks — particularly those designed to overwhelm small organizations with a flood of fake traffic.

We use Project Shield to protect at-risk organizations across the world, like news sites, human rights organizations or election monitors. Including in countries like Ukraine, where over 150 government and news websites are currently being kept safe and online by Project Shield and in surrounding countries affected by the war — so that they can continue to provide valuable information and services to people on the ground.

Here’s the kicker: like Google Analytics, the infrastructure that enables Project Shield relies on transatlantic data flows. We’re able to absorb massive attacks against individual websites by diffusing the traffic across a global network.

The very processes that enable Project Shield — a service that is protecting news and human rights organizations across Europe — are themselves considered suspect because they don’t adequately protect European users from the United States.

Towards a more responsible foundation

Of course, we understand that there are concerns about U.S. surveillance overreach — and we share them. Google has lobbied many years for U.S. government transparency, lawful processes, and surveillance reform — and continues to fight for protections for digital citizens outside the U.S.

We’ve done so while continuing in our belief that it is possible to advance international cooperation towards shared goals and against shared threats — and to build a future based on interests and values shared by democracies on both sides of the Atlantic.

For users, advertisers and tech, this shift towards a privacy-first internet will be a good thing.

Our studies have found that when users know that their privacy is respected, they respond with increased trust and interest. Users who feel they have control over their data are two times more likely to find content relevant; and three times more likely to react positively to advertising.

For online advertising, and the internet as a whole, this is a page-turning moment. We’re getting tools and rules. Legal clarity. Codes of practice. And a regulatory dialogue. A new future of advertising is coming: one that puts privacy front and center.

Using tech to make hiring more inclusive

Three years ago, Generation and Google.org joined forces to help jobseekers launch meaningful careers and change their lives. Enabled by $7.5M in grant funding from Google.org, and technical support from a team of Google.org Fellows, Generation has now helped to train and place more than 3,000 people in France, Italy, and Spain into entry-level technology sector professions, including digital customer care, full stack and java development, digital marketing, and robotic process automation.

Opening up access to today’s digital economy

At both Google and Generation, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in today's increasingly digital economy. Yet groups that are already underserved are still often underrepresented in jobs that require digital skills. Like Google’s Grow with Google initiatives, Generation’s programs seek to open access to education for those who have faced systemic barriers to accessing employment — 54% of learners at Generation are female, and most describe themselves as financially unstable before joining Generation, with 80% of learners unemployed.

Graduates from the Generation programs supported by Google.org have seen life-transforming outcomes, even in the midst of a pandemic labor market. Within six months of program completion, 75% of graduates were already placed in jobs. A year later, the majority of those remained employed.

A YouTube celebrating 50,000 lives transformed
10:25

Seeing the impact of Generation’s work and hearing the stories of Generation graduates is deeply inspiring. Stories like that of David André, who started working after high school without a university degree. He had a series of low wage restaurant and retail jobs, and then spent a period of time unemployed, facing financial and family difficulties.

Around that time, he received an email from the French employment agency, Pôle Emploi, about the Generation Customer Care program. David André decided to apply, and was accepted. He invested himself fully in the program. At the end of the course, Generation connected him with a French startup, Doctolib — an online platform that facilitates virtual medical appointments. Within a few months, he was hired permanently. With his newfound work stability, he has moved into his own place, and has stepped into a sales support role as he continues to advance in his career.

Spotlighting skills on the Employer Portal

To help further accelerate Generation’s mission, Google recently provided additional support in the form of a Google.org Fellowship, where a team of Google data scientists and product managers worked full-time, pro bono alongside Generation for six months, to address the challenge of matching job seekers with employers. When employers are accustomed to focusing on resumes, not candidate skills, it can be difficult for jobseekers from underrepresented communities to get seen. To make it easier for recruiters to find the talent they need from its pool of graduates, Google.org Fellows helped Generation to develop and build a new Employer Portal, now being trialed in both Spain and France.

What differentiates the Portal from other job-matching platforms out there is that employers can search for talent based on the skill-set of the job seekers, which Generation helps validate beforehand. Focusing on the skills that candidates bring to the table, rather than data points like age, gender, and education, help to minimize hiring biases and unlock new talent pools for employers — breaking down barriers to employment for underrepresented populations. We’re looking forward to seeing what the Employer Portal can do to help more jobseekers find employment, and like David André, change their lives.

Lessons from helping 10 million during the pandemic

2022 marks the third year of the pain of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we’ve yet to see the long-term impact it will have on how we live, work, study and grow, I’ve never seen a time where technology has been as helpful to as many people as it has been over these last three years.

The same technology that has kept so many going will be key to the economic recovery, but we must also make sure no one is left behind.

In 2015, when I first started this role at Google, the EU released a report highlighting a digital skills gap that threatened to leave a million jobs unfilled. Seeing a unique challenge and opportunity for Google to help, we launched Grow With Google, which aims to help accelerate economic recovery through our technology, tools and training. Through Grow with Google, we’ve trained 88 million people around the world in the skills they need to build their career, launch or grow their own business.

With the onset of the pandemic, we sought to build on these efforts. The acceleration of technology was keeping businesses afloat and helping communities connect — but it also risked leaving some people behind.

So in June 2020 we set ourselves a new target, pledging to help 10 million people and businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) find jobs, digitize and grow by the end of 2021. This important milestone has now been reached, and surpassed.

We approached this challenge by:

Providing businesses with the tools they need to thrive

Research has found 80% of small businesses increased their use of digital tools during the pandemic. So we’ve launched more than 200 new features since March 2020.

For example, with Business Profiles, we made it easier for businesses to manage their presence directly on Google Search and the Google Maps app and connect with customers online. These tools have helped businesses and people adjust and thrive during the pandemic. In fact, boutique French retailer Indira de Paris now attributes 70% of their sales to digital, thanks to these features.

We have also launched new features on Search and Google Maps enabling restaurants to inform customers they now do delivery — or for local stores to say they offer curbside pick-up. People can now find this information on Search and Maps for more than six million restaurants and retailers in Europe. To help retailers to connect with more customers, we made it free for retailers to list their products on the Shopping tab throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To help retailers stand out online, in over 10 EMEA markets, we launched tailored recommendations for every business with our new tool, Local Opportunity Finder.

Supporting people and businesses to learn new digital skills

To make the most of the digital opportunities available to them, people and businesses need the right skills. Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as part of our Grow with Google efforts, we focused on providing digital skills training.

We have worked alongside partners to launch initiatives aimed at supporting local businesses and communities to make the digital transition. With the German Retail Association (HDE) we launched the ZukunftHandel initiative, which has provided over 70,000 retailers with coaching and other support.

Long before the coronavirus, it was clear the jobs of the future would require anew set of digital skills. McKinsey now estimates that more than 25% of people may need to transition new jobs because of the pandemic. In response, we launched new Google Career Certificates to help people reskill for roles in high-growth areas such as IT support, project management, data analytics or UX design. People like Jelena in the UK have also benefited from the 100,000 scholarships we are providing in partnership with local governmental and non-governmental organizations. Jelena participated in a Project Management course from the Google Career Certificate program and is now a digital project coordinator for various charitable initiatives.

A picture of in Jelena Stephenson in Serbia who completed the Project Management course from the Google Career Certificate programme

A picture of in Jelena Stephenson in Serbia who completed the Project Management course from the Google Career Certificate programme

From our experience we feel there are five key lessons to share as we all continue the journey to economic growth and recovery in 2022.

1. The digital transition will continue at pace in 2022.

The future will be about businesses having the right skills and using the full range of digital tools to take advantage of the opportunities technology presents. Research has found that small businesses in Europe with a sophisticated use of digital tools were able to build a “digital safety net” during the pandemic, resulting in 80% better sales and 60% better revenue. For example, German fashion company das schöne leben ran their first in-house Search campaign during the pandemic and has tripled their direct online orders with customers of all ages throughout Germany.

2. Obtaining new skills will support the transition and expand the digital opportunity to more

Research by Google and McKinsey from 2020 shows that more than 90 million people in EMEA may need to learn new skills for future jobs, and that some people will need to change careers entirely. The past two years have only accelerated those changes further. Our work has provided us with numerous examples of businesses and individuals making the most of this opportunity. Noemi in Italy learned new skills so she could help local small businesses to digitize and grow, while Alba in Madrid used her Career Certificate to secure a job in IT support. Our Grow with Google and Career Certificate programs will continue to provide people with these skills.

3. For lasting impact, we must ensure that this opportunity is open to all

The pandemic has reinforced growing inequalities both between economies and within them. We know certain groups are more impacted than others: those without a college degree, ethinic minorities and women. To address this, we need new ways of thinking. We know that digital skills and tools, with the right support, can unlock everyone’s potential. In our efforts, we have seen countless examples of this — from Ibrahim in Italy, to the many women-owned businesses using Google tools across Europe. We will continue to work hard to reach everyone and will continue to work with a diverse group of organizations like MExoxo in Greece, which supports women, refugees and LGBTQ+ women in entrepreneurship.

4. Current challenges call for greater collaboration between organizations, communities and governments.

Partnerships have been the cornerstone of our work in supporting communities and governments. In France, working in partnership with Pole Emploi in some regions has helped job seekers identify gaps in digital skills and ways to access them. In 2022, expanding the digital opportunity and driving digitization should see this work continue. This will require continued collaboration on policy efforts, such as those led by the European Commission, as well as careful consideration of the regulations that will support a digital-led recovery.

5. The green economy will be the bedrock of the present and future.

The pandemic has demonstrated our collective ability to tackle major challenges — but coronavirus is not the only crisis we are facing. As we look to recover from the pandemic, the same focus must be given to fighting the climate crisis. Entrepreneurs are already working with governments and organizations to develop the technologies capable of addressing this challenge. Through theGoogle for Startups Accelerator: Sustainable Development Goals Project 2030 and anchoring over €2 billion of green infrastructure investments in Europe by 2025, we are backing those who are striving to find these solutions. We also want to help businesses and individuals make the right choices, working with SolarPower Europe’s #SolarWorks program to raise awareness of the diverse range of careers available in solar as well as promoting sustainable choices through the products we provide. In the U.K. we have worked with Planet Mark to offer training to help small businesses their journey towards sustainability.

The pandemic has presented enormous challenges to communities and economies across the world. While difficult work is still required to respond to and recover from the public health crisis, our work in helping 10 million people and businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to find jobs, digitize and grow has underlined to me that there are also enormous opportunities. The future we need to build is an inclusive, sustainable and digitally accelerated one — and we are here to play our part.

New EU political ads law is a step in the right direction

Having access to the right information matters. During a democratic election, it matters more than ever. High-quality information helps people make informed decisions when voting and counteracts abuse by bad actors. Through programs like security training for campaigns, information about polling places and transparency for political ads, Google is committed to helping support the integrity of democratic processes around the world.

Political advertising is an important component of democratic elections — candidates use ads to raise awareness, share information and engage potential voters. Over the last few years, Google has proactively increased transparency around election advertising: we updated our ads policies to require election advertisers to verify their identities and show who’s paying for an ad. We also introduced transparency reporting for online election ads in Europe as well as in the US and other countries around the world, providing a range of data that goes well beyond what’s typically available for TV, radio or print ads.

We have also made real changes to how election advertising works. In 2020, we implemented industry-leading restrictions to limit election ads’ audience targeting to age, gender and general location (at the postal code level), similar to categories candidates would use in deciding where to run ads on TV shows or in print. That same year, we started rolling out identity verification and disclosures for all advertisers, providing even wider transparency about ad sponsors. These improvements, and more, are part of a larger focus on political advertising that helped us navigate elections in the European Union, the United States, India (the largest democratic election in history) and other leading countries.

Google was one of the original signatories of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, which has led to constructive actions and change between the industry, policymakers and the expert community on the challenges of addressing disinformation. The Code laid out a model for voluntary action, facilitating work with policymakers on new transparency reporting on political advertising and helping users, governments and academics better understand how online election ads work.

We share the Commission's goal of increasing the harmonization of Europe’s transparency rules for political advertising and we support today’s introduction of legislation. As we expand our own efforts, we look forward to engaging with the Commission on how best to meet the goals laid out by the Democracy Action Plan and Digital Services Act. This is a complex field, requiring a balance between minimizing misinformation while protecting legitimate political expression. The Commission’s proposal is an important and welcome step and as the European Council and Parliament review it, we offer a few observations based on our experiences over recent election cycles.

  • Clear definitions for ‘political’ ads: It’s critical that the law clarifies which actors and what types of content are subject to the obligations regarding political advertising, giving clear examples of what would or would not be in scope. Without clear definitions, different companies will adopt inconsistent and conflicting policies, making for confusion for advertisers and undermining transparency for citizens. The current text could also inadvertently impact a wider range of ads than intended — for example, sweeping in ads from NGOs on issues of public concern or from private citizens speaking out about social questions.
  • Clear responsibilities for platforms and advertisers: Protecting elections is a shared responsibility and we all need to play our part to be more transparent. Advertisers are in the best position to validate their identity and best understand the nature and context of their ads. They play a critical role in providing accurate information and (as they do with other media like television) ensuring that their content complies with applicable laws. Advertiser “self-declaration” — whereby political advertisers verify their identities and declare when they are running political ads — would have advertisers due their share to contribute to transparency, making the law work better in practice.
  • Flexibility and dialogue: This is a dynamic and fast moving environment and we have seen a lot of changes to both political ads and governing regulations. Continuing discussions with stakeholders will help regulation react to changing contexts or emerging trends that might affect definitions, regulatory provisions or enforcement.

Elections are a fundamental part of democracy, and new regulations can help keep elections open, transparent and accountable. Legal certainty in those regulations will help candidates, campaigns, advertisers, publishers and platforms understand the precise scope of covered advertising and the specific obligations of each actor. In the coming months we look forward to sharing our experiences with the different institutions and bodies working to advance these important topics.

Helping European small businesses grow and succeed

Today marks the beginning of the European SME week, a time to recognize the contribution that millions of small and medium-sized businesses make to Europe’s economy, as well as an opportunity to explore how they can be supported to continue to grow and thrive.

This time of year is especially critical for small businesses. Shoppers really care about supporting their local communities, with 56% of holiday shoppers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa saying they will intentionally shop more at local small businesses this festive season.

Small businesses are the key to recovery from the pandemic, and our digital tools have helped them sustain their business through lockdowns and enable new jobs, growth and exports. That’s why we rapidly adapted products to improve support and provided training to help them make the most of digital technology. Supporting small businesses is a group effort, though — and the right skills and tools need to be underpinned by the right policies.


Providing helpful tools to connect with customers

The past year and a half has underlined the importance of technology in all parts of life — and small businesses are no exception. Research has found that small businesses in Europe with a sophisticated use of digital tools were able to build a ‘digital safety net’ during the pandemic, resulting in 80% better sales and 60% better revenue.

One example of this is the German company, das schöne leben. Opened in 2016, the store specializes in exceptional food and designer products for everyday living. When the pandemic hit, the founders of the store started advertising online alongside their in-store sales, and set up a Business Profile on Google Search and Maps to help existing and potential customers find them. Das schöne leben now has customers of all ages throughout Germany and has tripled their direct online orders with their first in-house search campaign.

A smiling picture of Manon Weßels, the owner of das schöne leben

Manon Weßels, owner of das schöne leben

Particularly for smaller businesses, Google Ads is the key for visibility and findability online. We would never have reached so many suitable new customers without the advertisements. Manon Weßels
Owner, das schöne leben

The example of das schöne leben and countless others show that online ads help businesses of all sizes find audiences they otherwise may lack access to, help them enter new markets and help build brand awareness.

At Google, we continue to innovate and invest in making all our products and tools more helpful — launching more than 200 features since March 2020 to help businesses connect with their customers in this shifting landscape.

We're also making it even easier for small businesses to manage their presence and connect with customers online. Businesses in Europe can now easily claim and verify their Business Profile directly on Google Search or the Google Maps app, and respond to messages directly from Search. Having more complete information online can have a huge impact for businesses: in Germany, for example, complete Business Profiles receive an average of over five times more calls compared to an incomplete profile. Moving forward, we recommend small businesses manage their profiles directly on Search or Maps. To keep things simple, “Google My Business” is being renamed “Google Business Profile.”


Ensuring that SMBs have the skills to get ahead

We know that providing the right tools is only helpful if businesses are able to use them. To make the most of the digital opportunities available to them, business owners need the right skills. Research has found that 22% of small business owners feel they lack the skills and knowledge to increase their use of digital tools.

Today, we are delighted to kick off our first-ever ‘Google.org Skills Week’ to help support select nonprofits mentoring thousands of underserved small business owners in Europe through scaled tech solutions. As a recent study highlights, medium, small and micro-enterprises — especially those led by women, young people, ethnic minorities, and migrants — were significantly impacted by COVID-19 with 70-80% facing major financial difficulties.

During this week, Google volunteers and product experts will share their skills and best practices through workshops, design sprints and 1:1 mentorship, to help educate select nonprofits that provide mentorship to underserved SMB owners. This week of training touches on many different skills including product management, design, marketing and AdGrants, Artificial Intelligence, YouTube, impact measurement, and aims to better equip the nonprofits to help small businesses improve their online presence.

A video about helping small businesses
10:25

We have seen how powerful these skills can be in helping to grow and scale businesses across Europe.

For Andrea Li Puma, the owner of the food truck Pastammore based in Bucharest, access to digital skills was essential to reach new customers and grow his business. The pandemic meant that Andrea had to take his food business online and pivot to deliver Pastammore’s homemade pasta directly to consumers at home. With support from Google.org-funded nonprofit Digital Nation, Andrea was able to develop an online marketing strategy, optimize his website, and launch new advertising campaigns that helped Pastammore survive through the tough period and even grow with sales increase by 15%.

A picture of Andrea Li Puma, the owner of the food truck Pastammore based in Bucharest, in a white coat in front of his truck

Andrea Li Puma, owner of food truck Pastammore in Bucharest

Since 2015, over 18 million people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa have participated in our Grow with Google training, resulting in more than four million people getting a new job, growing their career or growing their business*.

To make sure our programs best help tackle the barriers to digital success, we developed partnerships with training experts, public agencies and policy makers. For example, in France we collaborate with FFAC — French Association of Local Stores — in supporting 30,000 local shop owners everywhere in France in their digital transition.


A more inclusive economic recovery

The pandemic has been disruptive and small businesses have been at the sharp end of this change. While challenging, this past year and a half has also underlined how resilient small businesses can thrive through partnership, openness and innovation. Europe has a great opportunity to build a digital, inclusive, and sustainable recovery that works for everyone. We are excited to play our part in this.

*Analysis by Google based on internal data and a survey by Ipsos from Sep 2016 to Sep 2021 amongst EMEA residents trained via Digital Workshop.

Helping European small businesses grow and succeed

Today marks the beginning of the European SME week, a time to recognize the contribution that millions of small and medium-sized businesses make to Europe’s economy, as well as an opportunity to explore how they can be supported to continue to grow and thrive.

This time of year is especially critical for small businesses. Shoppers really care about supporting their local communities, with 56% of holiday shoppers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa saying they will intentionally shop more at local small businesses this festive season.

Small businesses are the key to recovery from the pandemic, and our digital tools have helped them sustain their business through lockdowns and enable new jobs, growth and exports. That’s why we rapidly adapted products to improve support and provided training to help them make the most of digital technology. Supporting small businesses is a group effort, though — and the right skills and tools need to be underpinned by the right policies.


Providing helpful tools to connect with customers

The past year and a half has underlined the importance of technology in all parts of life — and small businesses are no exception. Research has found that small businesses in Europe with a sophisticated use of digital tools were able to build a ‘digital safety net’ during the pandemic, resulting in 80% better sales and 60% better revenue.

One example of this is the German company, das schöne leben. Opened in 2016, the store specializes in exceptional food and designer products for everyday living. When the pandemic hit, the founders of the store started advertising online alongside their in-store sales, and set up a Business Profile on Google Search and Maps to help existing and potential customers find them. Das schöne leben now has customers of all ages throughout Germany and has tripled their direct online orders with their first in-house search campaign.

A smiling picture of Manon Weßels, the owner of das schöne leben

Manon Weßels, owner of das schöne leben

Particularly for smaller businesses, Google Ads is the key for visibility and findability online. We would never have reached so many suitable new customers without the advertisements. Manon Weßels
Owner, das schöne leben

The example of das schöne leben and countless others show that online ads help businesses of all sizes find audiences they otherwise may lack access to, help them enter new markets and help build brand awareness.

At Google, we continue to innovate and invest in making all our products and tools more helpful — launching more than 200 features since March 2020 to help businesses connect with their customers in this shifting landscape.

We're also making it even easier for small businesses to manage their presence and connect with customers online. Businesses in Europe can now easily claim and verify their Business Profile directly on Google Search or the Google Maps app, and respond to messages directly from Search. Having more complete information online can have a huge impact for businesses: in Germany, for example, complete Business Profiles receive an average of over five times more calls compared to an incomplete profile. Moving forward, we recommend small businesses manage their profiles directly on Search or Maps. To keep things simple, “Google My Business” is being renamed “Google Business Profile.”


Ensuring that SMBs have the skills to get ahead

We know that providing the right tools is only helpful if businesses are able to use them. To make the most of the digital opportunities available to them, business owners need the right skills. Research has found that 22% of small business owners feel they lack the skills and knowledge to increase their use of digital tools.

Today, we are delighted to kick off our first-ever ‘Google.org Skills Week’ to help support select nonprofits mentoring thousands of underserved small business owners in Europe through scaled tech solutions. As a recent study highlights, medium, small and micro-enterprises — especially those led by women, young people, ethnic minorities, and migrants — were significantly impacted by COVID-19 with 70-80% facing major financial difficulties.

During this week, Google volunteers and product experts will share their skills and best practices through workshops, design sprints and 1:1 mentorship, to help educate select nonprofits that provide mentorship to underserved SMB owners. This week of training touches on many different skills including product management, design, marketing and AdGrants, Artificial Intelligence, YouTube, impact measurement, and aims to better equip the nonprofits to help small businesses improve their online presence.

A video about helping small businesses
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We have seen how powerful these skills can be in helping to grow and scale businesses across Europe.

For Andrea Li Puma, the owner of the food truck Pastammore based in Bucharest, access to digital skills was essential to reach new customers and grow his business. The pandemic meant that Andrea had to take his food business online and pivot to deliver Pastammore’s homemade pasta directly to consumers at home. With support from Google.org-funded nonprofit Digital Nation, Andrea was able to develop an online marketing strategy, optimize his website, and launch new advertising campaigns that helped Pastammore survive through the tough period and even grow with sales increase by 15%.

A picture of Andrea Li Puma, the owner of the food truck Pastammore based in Bucharest, in a white coat in front of his truck

Andrea Li Puma, owner of food truck Pastammore in Bucharest

Since 2015, over 18 million people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa have participated in our Grow with Google training, resulting in more than four million people getting a new job, growing their career or growing their business*.

To make sure our programs best help tackle the barriers to digital success, we developed partnerships with training experts, public agencies and policy makers. For example, in France we collaborate with FFAC — French Association of Local Stores — in supporting 30,000 local shop owners everywhere in France in their digital transition.


A more inclusive economic recovery

The pandemic has been disruptive and small businesses have been at the sharp end of this change. While challenging, this past year and a half has also underlined how resilient small businesses can thrive through partnership, openness and innovation. Europe has a great opportunity to build a digital, inclusive, and sustainable recovery that works for everyone. We are excited to play our part in this.

*Analysis by Google based on internal data and a survey by Ipsos from Sep 2016 to Sep 2021 amongst EMEA residents trained via Digital Workshop.

Fighting misinformation online, together

Over the past 18 months, we have all used digital services more than ever before. Over half the world is now online, with our use of technology leaping forward five to ten years in as many months. The web has been a lifeline for many. But digital acceleration hasn’t been without challenges. Amongst them, misinformation is a stubborn problem both online and offline.

We know that Google and YouTube have a responsibility in this fight and we are determined to be part of the solution. Today, along with the European University Institute and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, we hosted a summit called Fighting Misinformation Online to bring together those working to tackle mis- and disinformation from across governments, educators, nonprofits, technologists, and news organisations. Speakers included EU Commissioner Jourová, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford and fact checking experts like Maldita.es in Spain and the German Press Agency DPA in Germany.

What did we learn?

Every day, people around the world use Google to access high quality information, verify things they’ve heard elsewhere and learn more about the world. But what’s also true is that fighting disinformation and misinformation isn’t something we can do alone. Collaboration between academics, policymakers, publishers, and technology companies is key.

Professor Alexander Stubb, Director of the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, urged for a common sense of responsibility:”It’s the responsibility of the media, it’s the responsibility of companies and entrepreneurs, it’s the responsibility of NGOs and civil society, it’s the responsibility of academics and professors and researchers” to fight misinformation.

We also heard from experts in fact checking and media literacy who are helping people sort facts from fiction. Stefan Voss from the DPA spoke about Faktencheck21, a unique partnership which equipped journalists with the tools to debunk German election misinformation, as well as Mevan Babakar of Full Fact and Mélanie Jalans of Play Bac Presse

To support further work in fact checking and media literacy, Google contributed €25 million to launch the European News and Information Fund, set up by the European University Institute and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, under the supervision of the European Digital Media Observatory, earlier this year to strengthen fact checking, media literacy and research on disinformation. We encourage participants from the event and other experts to register interest here.

What is Google doing?

Speakers from Google including Sundar Pichai, Neal Mohan and Amanda Storey spoke about how Google is addressing the challenge.

It starts with raising up authoritative sources across our products. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve pointed to authoritative information from 170 public health organizations around the world. On Search, we make it easy to learn more about your results and provide key context about a website before you visit and we’re expanding these features into more languages.

When information doesn’t meet our guidelines, we block and remove it, in a consistent way. Every day, we take down 8 million deceptive ads to protect people from scams and we scan 100 billion apps to make sure they are safe.

And every day on YouTube, we follow the 4 Rs to: Remove content that violates our policies, Reduce the spread of harmful misinformation and borderline material, Raise up authoritative sources for news and information, and Reward trusted creators.

In 2018, we signed the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation. Now we’re working hard with other signatories on updating the Code to make it more robust, impactful and ready to address the current challenges, because we’re proud of what we’ve achieved, but we believe we can go further.

This investment is complemented by investments like our Google News Initiative, which has provided verification training to more than 90,000 journalists. And across our products, every day, Google surfaces independent fact checks six million times, helping you spot misinformation online.

And recently, we launched the Safety engineering centre for content responsibility in Dublin, our regional hub for experts to tackle illegal and harmful content and engage with regulators, emphasising openness, transparency and our shared mission.

The challenge we face is significant. But by using reputable research, best practices and working together with experts, we’re finding new and innovative ways to fight mis- and disinformation. And we hope today’s summit leads to even more collaboration. Building trust means building together.

You can watch the Summit back here.

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Supporting inclusive recovery in Central & Eastern Europe

In January, we opened the call for applications for the Google.org Impact Challenge for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Thankfully, the region is in a different place now than it was then. As vaccine rollout progresses across Europe, people are thinking about how to reopen businesses and develop careers. But there’s still a long journey ahead, particularly when it comes to building a sustainable, inclusive economic recovery for the region.

We need to make sure no one is left behind as we build back the economy. To help, today we’re announcing 13 brilliant organizations across Central and Eastern Europe that will receive Google.org funding to support their work on digital inclusion across the region.

Together with our partner INCO and our panel of experts, we’ve selected ambitious and wide-ranging projects from organizations working in each of the 11 countries of the CEE region that put digital innovation and inclusion at the heart of economic recovery. Each organization will receive between €50,000-€250,000 in funding from Google.org and mentoring from Google to help make their project proposals a reality. You can read more about the projects here.  

Supporting these incredible organizations is just one way that we plan to help Central and Eastern European economies on their path to a digital-led recovery. Last year alone, through our Grow with Google programs, we helped 250,000 people in the region grow their digital skills or transition to a digital-focused career — and we look forward to doing even more in the coming months.

  • Organizations: Listen Up Foundation (Bulgaria), Tuk-Tam (Bulgaria), Green Energy Cooperative (Croatia) and Lean Startup (Czechia)
    Organizations: Listen Up Foundation (Bulgaria), Tuk-Tam (Bulgaria), Green Energy Cooperative (Croatia) and Lean Startup (Czechia)

  • Organizations: Startup Wise Guys (Estonia), Marker’s Red Box (Hungary), Riga TechGirls (Latvia) and Lithuanian Gay League (Lithuania)

    Organizations: Startup Wise Guys (Estonia), Marker’s Red Box (Hungary), Riga TechGirls (Latvia) and Lithuanian Gay League (Lithuania)

  • Organizations: Fundacja Studio M6 (Poland), Digital Nation (Romania), Touch & Speech (Slovakia) and AmCham Slovenia (Slovenia)

    Organizations: Fundacja Studio M6 (Poland), Digital Nation (Romania), Touch & Speech (Slovakia) and AmCham Slovenia (Slovenia)


  • Organization: University of Primorska, Faculty Tourism Studies (Slovenia)

    Organization: University of Primorska, Faculty Tourism Studies (Slovenia)

  • Listen Up Foundation (Bulgaria) is helping infants, children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing achieve equality through improved educational systems and empowerment practices.

  • Tuk-Tam (Bulgaria) provides a network of social, educational and career opportunities to disadvantaged students, connecting them with Bulgarians living around the world who serve as role models. 

  • Green Energy Cooperative (Croatia) is building an application to educate 10,000 people on photovoltaic panels and prepare them for green jobs in Croatia.

  • Lean Startup (Czechia) is setting up a program to help create equal opportunities for rural startup founders.

  • Startup Wise Guys Foundation (Estonia) is creating a social and digital startup incubation program to create 1000+ jobs in 11 countries in CEE.

  • Maker’s Red Box (Hungary) is providing hands-on digital skills learning methodologies for children from disadvantaged families and in foster care.

  • Riga TechGirls (Latvia) is promoting digital skills among female artists, healthcare professionals and teachers.

  • Lithuanian Gay League (Lithuania) promotes an inclusive social environment for all within the LGBTQ+ community through education and support. The organization offers digital marketing and programming courses to a diverse group of underprivileged individuals.

  • Fundacja Studio M6 (Poland) is rehabilitating disadvantaged areas in Poland through joint housing and employment support via an internet-based platform. 

  • Digital Nation (Romania) is creating a job matchmaking program that connects young people with digital skills in need of employment with small and medium-sized businesses that need hands-on expertise to grow their business.

  • Touch&Speech n.o. (Slovakia) is developing a more effective approach to navigating touch smartphones for people who are blind — regardless of their digital skills or access to assistive services.

  • AmCham(Slovenia) is creating a program to raise the profile of the teaching profession, recognise teachers’ work and support peer-to-peer skills development.

  • University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica (Slovenia) is designing a platform to support local entrepreneurs and enhance rural tourism.

The new WWW: Helping accelerate the retail recovery

The web has been a lifeline during lockdown. Digital tools have helped us stay connected — families with each other, teachers with students and businesses with customers. There has never been a time when technology could be more helpful to people, communities and countries.

Unsurprisingly, as a result of the pandemic, our use of technology has leapt forward five to ten years in as many months — accelerating trends that we were already experiencing in the retail sector and beyond.

Trends: the new WWW

When browsing in a store became impossible, people didn’t stop looking for inspiration. Instead, window shopping went virtual. Searches for “ideas” surged on both Google Search and Google Images, with shoppers seeking inspiration when they didn’t have a specific product in mind. For retailers to capture those customers, visibility is crucial: More than 60% of shoppers we surveyed said they ordered from a brand after seeing it on YouTube.

The increased need for online shopping has led to a final convergence of online and offline shopping. Customers like to have the same inspiration and advice that they could get in store — but now, they want it from home. And those same customers are demanding more when they do shop. Searches for terms like “best” and “promo code” continue to rise, and customers expect doorstep delivery service across more and more categories. “WWW” no longer only stands for the worldwide web: it’s now what we want, when and where we want it. 

Finally, we know that today’s shoppers value their privacy. They want to have control of their data, they need to give permission for it, and they deserve to know how it is being used.

At Google, we’re working with retailers to ensure that every online interaction is an opportunity. Online can be just as valuable as in-person for building direct relationships with customers, strengthening trust and building loyalty. Retailers just need to use the right insights and tools to get them there.

Trainings: Using digital tools and skills to weather the pandemic 

Even before the pandemic, many retailers — large and small — had been embracing digital to find new opportunities. Those who went into the pandemic behind found themselves quickly learning new skills — so much so that the Connected Commerce Council found that 75% of European small businesses in the retail industry increased their use of digital tools during the pandemic, building a “digital safety net” for their businesses.

Take Maison des Sœurs Macarons, a famed dessert shop in Nancy, France. The owner Nicolas saw store sales drop by 90%, and decided to attend our Google Digital Workshop training program. After learning how to reach customers online with Google Ads and e-commerce, he saw the volume of online orders and customers double.

Since the start of the pandemic, our Grow with Google programme has trained more than three million individuals and businesses like Nicolas’ across Europe, equipping them with the digital skills they need to recover from the pandemic. And to help turn those newfound skills into action, we’ve launched more than 200 features since March 2020, helping businesses connect with their customers in this shifting landscape. With the holiday season ahead, we now have the pleasure of announcing a few more.

This was a group effort and digital tools made it all so much easier and more affordable than any of us were expecting. Ahmet Taskan, Honingwinkel. Utrecht, Netherlands.

Tools: What you need to give your customers the experience they deserve

More than ever, businesses need to be discoverable in more places than the high street. To help retailers stand out, we’re launching tailored recommendations for every business with our new tool, Local Opportunity Finder. Retailers can simply enter the name of their business into the easy-to-use tool, and we’ll provide customised solutions on how to improve their presence on Google Search and Maps — all in under five minutes. The impact can be huge: in Germany, for example, complete Business Profiles receive an average of over five times more calls compared to an incomplete profile.

In June, we’ll be rolling this tool out in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain with more countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to follow in the coming months. 

To make it even easier for retailers to manage their online presence, we’re also simplifying the process, allowing businesses to directly manage their contact information, opening hours and updates from Search and Maps.

Local opportunity finder screenshot

In addition, we help retailers with their existing e-commerce providers. We’ve built new, simplified integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, helping retailers quickly get their product inventory live on Google — making sure more customers know what they sell and where to reach them.

Doing our part

We know that the tech-celeration we’ve seen can be tricky to keep up with. None of us know exactly how the next six months will unfold, but the resilience and creativity of small and medium-sized businesses over the last year deserves celebrating.

We’ll work hard  to help support the retail industry recover in the region — delivering the digital tools and skills you need, the insights you want, and the partnership you deserve.

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