Russia Plans To Launch Sputnik Again -- This Time As A Search Engine
from the easier-said-than-done dept
Techdirt has been reporting for a while the efforts of the Russian government to bring the Internet there under control. It now seems that it is taking a new approach: as well as banning or criminalizing activities it doesn't like, it wants to compete with them directly. Specifically, it plans to fund a new Russian search engine, called "Sputnik", named after the first artificial satellite, put into space by the Russians in 1957. According to an article in the news magazine "Der Spiegel" (original in German), this is designed to address two problems at once.
The first is the risk that Russia's leading search engine, Yandex, might fall into hostile hands. Yandex currently holds 60% of the Russian search engine market, and makes a healthy $400 million profit on revenue of $1 billion, and so would be a tempting target for a take-over. The danger for the Russian government is that it might go to someone hostile to their policies. In fact, Yandex has already proved something of a thorn in the Russian government's side, since it has not only supported opposition figures on several occasions, but it has the habit of linking to foreign sites that contradict the official line.
That's the second problem that Sputnik is designed to solve. The hope seems to be that in time it will become one of the main sources of information for Russians when they go online, and allow the government to ensure that no inconvenient facts are served up when they search on sensitive subjects.
Of course, it's one thing to talk about launching a search engine that will take on Yandex and Google (which currently holds around 26% of the market), and quite another to deliver. As Techdirt reported back in 2006, similar plans by the French government to set up its own search engine soon fizzled out. The article in Der Spiegel talks of the Russian government providing around $20 million dollars to fund the new project, and notes that this seems far too little to take on Yandex with its 3,500 employees. As well as a large workforce, Yandex also has a healthy bank balance thanks to an earlier flotation on the New York Stock Exchange that brought it an extra $1.3 billion to bolster its already considerable resources.
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Filed Under: russia, search engine, sputnik
Companies: google, sputnik, yandex
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"this is designed to address two problems at once. "
Then you say because it's because the existing one might be taken over.
Then you say:
"That's the second problem that Sputnik is designed to solve"
So your saying
"This is the first reason"
THE REASON
"this is the second reason"
Then you reiterate the first reason, for the 3rd time !!
What are the TWO reasons again ??
So it appears to be only one reason, (or risk) framed twice !!
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Re: "this is designed to address two problems at once. "
1st: Yandex might fall in to foreign hands
2nd: Yandex doesn't necessarily follow the ruling parties current propaganda and so turns up facts that contradict the governments 'facts'
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so, how long before the same thing is announced as happening in the USA? it's trying to do the same as Russia, it just hasn't issued the orders yet!
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Re:
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Re: Re:
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Re: When will we have one?
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Re:
2. Funnel information as much as possible.
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In Soviet Russia...
When life imitates meme?
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Hmm, use a censored propaganda search, or an uncensored free search?
Tough choice...
Oh what the heck, even I admit that as a liberal I'd rather watch news channels full of government propaganda from a government I don't like, rather then a free market Fox News propaganda news channel.
But the problem for the Russian government, is that neither Yandex or Google are remotely close to looking like some evil partisan propaganda search engine trying to brainwash you.
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Re: Hmm, use a censored propaganda search, or an uncensored free search?
It's cute that you assume you'll have a choice.
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Re: Hmm, use a censored propaganda search, or an uncensored free search?
WHAT? If you actually meant what you said, then that's refreshingly honest.. Admitting that "the other" stations are nothing but government propaganda... Now, unless you're intentionally ignoring the reality of the world, I don't know why you'd RATHER watch that than Fox News..
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Wrong facts
It's impossible to take over Yandex. State-owned Sberbank hold "golden share" and can block any acquisitions.
It's actually not the Russian Government, but Rostelecom - state-owned telecom almost-monopoly.
Also, fun fact. The VP of Rostelecom, responsible for this project - Alexey Basov is a former founder of Begun, one of the first contextual advertising startups in the world, that Google tried to buy in 2008. The deal was blocked by Russian anti-monopoly commission.
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My prediction
Six months later: "Why in the world is Sputnik failing so miserably?"
(The redacted words are censored, torrents, and gay, in that order.)
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