[apoverton]

I'm curious if anyone has examples of large companies willfully funding organizations that are critical of them.

Google plays a huge role in our lives, but it is also a corporation that has a duty to its shareholders. The EU's decision has an impact on their profits that has the potential to affect their future revenue opportunities. I'd see an issue if Google was intentionally burying information from this group, but choosing not to fund them seems like a perfectly rational, fair thing to do.

[bhouston]

The issue is that this is an important think tank and it can now no longer involve anyone who isn't pro-Google. If Google does this for a few key think-tanks then it runs these opinions out of the mainstream. So it is an effective technique, smart as well but executed poorly in this case.

[pckhoi]

It's not justified and fair just because it benefits Google and it's shareholders. By this logic I shouldn't go to jail if I rob a bank.