Foreign nations are increasingly using US tech firms as piggy banks, they fine and levy arbitrary taxes from them, or just use the threat of such to demand some change in behavior, it's quite the racket.
Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
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Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#22Foreign nations are increasingly using US tech firms as piggy banks, they fine and levy arbitrary taxes from them, or just use the threat of such to demand some change in behavior, it's quite the racket.
If they try so hard to avoid taxes my government should damn well try very hard to fine them.
Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#23Foreign nations are increasingly using US tech firms as piggy banks, they fine and levy arbitrary taxes from them, or just use the threat of such to demand some change in behavior, it's quite the racket.
Probably not going to change anytime soon. It's a lot more palatable to Europeans to invent reasons to fine foreign companies than to face up to the fact that all the red tape they use to maintain their way of life is the reason they're a non-player compared to the Americans or the wealthier SEA region nations. It's part of why SEA is the better focus for long-term trade partnerships since they don't share the entitled laziness that makes Europeans protest over things like automated checkout counters. South America is interesting because it has a lot of the properties that make for a potentially competitive tech scene but not the wealth to keep talent so the European strategy probably suits many of the region's nations better for now.
Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#24Foreign nations are increasingly using US tech firms as piggy banks, they fine and levy arbitrary taxes from them, or just use the threat of such to demand some change in behavior, it's quite the racket.
If they try so hard to avoid taxes my government should damn well try very hard to fine them.
They follow the law, if they are targeted by special taxes then it's a violation worthy of retaliation.
Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
I prefer to use the analogy of being fined for illegal parking for less than the value of the parking lot fee. If no one fined you, you parked for free, if you got fined, you still paid less than what you would pay to the parking lot. And I agree with you, fines should be progressive, if they aren't, they are a deterrent only to small players.
I heard a skit on the radio once where an American was driving around Sydney looking for a park and asked about parking in some place. A local said, "Oh no, the fine for parking there is $40 a day!". The American immediately parked there, saying $40 is much cheaper than daily parking in NYC.
They're $114 and up these days.
https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/roads/safety-rules/deme... [PDF]
Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#26Alternative headline:
“Brazilian officials brandish corruption by signaling to Facebook their citizens are up for sale”
Re: Brazil fines Facebook $1.6M for improper sharing of user data
#271.6 million. Basically nothing.
That’s like one of their senior engineer / manager compensation. That’s literally nothing to them.