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EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

consilium.europa.eu

781–790 of 1001 posts

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#782

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering that the EU is the second largest consumer market in the world (at least according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_consumer_marke... ), it seems like that point is kind of far away.

Could be as early as winter. Things are not very bullish for the EU right now given their energy situation.

We’re fine, don’t worry.

Well most of us are

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#783

This is easily one of the most expansive Acts regarding computing devices passed in my lifetime. The summary is in the link. As an iPhone user, this will enable me to: * Install any software * Install any App Store and choose to make it default * Use third party payment providers and choose to make them default * Use any voice assistant and choose to make it default * User any browser and browser engine and choose to…

- require the most important software (e.g. web browsers) to be installed by default when installing an operating system How is chromebook going to exist without a chrome browser? Sometimes I wonder if the people making the laws have any knowledge of the technology landscape?

If push comes to shove, I imagine Google will just not sell chromebooks in the EU.

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#784

I'm sort of surprised at the positive tone here. Sure, it's nice for non-technical people to enumerate a lot of nice to haves, but just asserting something doesn't make it true or possible. As one example, making "core messaging functionality interoperable". How exactly does that work with end-to-end encryption? I suppose we'd need some sort of open system and protocol for all the tricky key sharing stuff? That would…

> As one example, making "core messaging functionality interoperable". How exactly does that work with end-to-end encryption?

Quite simply: it doesn't. It can only work the same way as iMessage interoperates with SMS, by throwing away security.

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#785
post #760

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What timeline do you think the Gatekeepeers would prefer? Is it a reasonable goal to let BigTech drag it's feet making these changes they didn't want to do on their own accord in the first place? Amazing things are possible when the incentive is right. Given their VAST resources, it's only a matter of focus.

I don't know how anyone would think that timeline is in any way possible. Not gonna happen.

Honestly I think the timeline is a punishment for forcing the governments hand by never doing any of these things themselves.

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#786
post #766
post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I am in the camp of apple allowing side-loading, i am not a fan of monopolistic regulations like this. It opens all kind of questions, like 1. What devices have to comply? 2. Who decides what device has to comply? Should playstation open their system too. What about a niche bank transaction signing device that internally uses an android capable hardware. Is this illegal now? 3. What about a car infotainment sys…

Most car infotainment systems ship with Linux, just they don't let you change it, which might be a GPL violation.

But what if that system had a small app store? Now it should allow any app store and apps to be installed?

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#787

I'm sort of surprised at the positive tone here. Sure, it's nice for non-technical people to enumerate a lot of nice to haves, but just asserting something doesn't make it true or possible. As one example, making "core messaging functionality interoperable". How exactly does that work with end-to-end encryption? I suppose we'd need some sort of open system and protocol for all the tricky key sharing stuff? That would…

> How exactly does that work with end-to-end encryption? Exactly how we deal with everything else that works across platforms: standardization. We've done it at least once before (SSL/TLS), I'm sure these rich and "amazingly smart" companies can figure out how to achieve it once again. > Isn't there, again, some hardware security issues in play with that? Is there hardware security issues with accept CC details on th…

Ah, so now nobody can ever launch any new messaging features without reaching a consensus in a standardization body. Progress!

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#788

I'm sort of surprised at the positive tone here. Sure, it's nice for non-technical people to enumerate a lot of nice to haves, but just asserting something doesn't make it true or possible. As one example, making "core messaging functionality interoperable". How exactly does that work with end-to-end encryption? I suppose we'd need some sort of open system and protocol for all the tricky key sharing stuff? That would…

You can easily warn a user that messaging a user using a different protocol will not be encrypted. On the iPhone, this is done visually with the blue/green bubbles. But other solutions can be implemented.

If I am using, say, Signal, I do not want it to be possible to send me an unencrypted message at all. That philosophy of security sounds likely to run afoul of this legislation.

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#789

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EU-based *aaS companies are practically nonexistent relative to US-based ones, so there's basically nothing holding them back from passing bills like this one gerrymandered to (i) companies with a global market cap above €75B, (ii) with 45 million European users, (iii) and an included web browser or messaging app. If they had companies satisfying those criteria, they'd certainly see more pushback. I personally like t…

> I hope US lawmakers retaliate appropriately. The US has already won (and indeed was always winning) in terms of tech companies. There's nothing to retaliate against!

The EU has other industries.

Re: EU Digital Markets Act, aimed at Google, Apple, Amazon, approved

#790

I'm not sure how I feel about this. My gut instinct is that opening these things can lead to a ton of malware and fake app stores, which will lead to a not-insignificant number of people being victimized. I'm also annoyed that the EU produces effectively 0 innovative tech, and subsequently has very suppressed tech salaries, but is so ready to regulate the American companies that make the world go 'round.

> I'm also annoyed that the EU produces effectively 0 innovative tech, and subsequently has very suppressed tech salaries, but is so ready to regulate the American companies that make the world go 'round Because its almost impossible to compete? These companies have so many resources, its impossible for any local competitor to compete. Amazon can just crash the prices till the competition dies, Google can just not al…

Well, at one point of history it was "impossible to compete" against Nokia on mobile market. I find statements that we are living at the point of the market where competition is no longer possible to be very naive.
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