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The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

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Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#41

Post by tobylane »

dantheman wrote: post #16
prepend wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google controls mine as search and gmail and chrome are major ways that I communicate with others. It’s difficult not to use them because my employer and many sites require chrome. I’m not sure what the gmail market share is, but chrome and search are over 50% and they’ve used that market position to harm users (showing ads for their own products until you choose chrome) and harm competitors (showing their own ads ab…

It's hard to say google controls your communication. You: 1. Voluntary use their services 2. There are lots of alternatives 3. The switching cost is minimal

Even if you personally don't use GMail, a considerable amount of personal emails have at least one participant who uses it. Every social person who uses email has some of their communication read by Google. People who like hyperbole will phrase that as all of their communication is data mined and therefore controlled.

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#42

Post by constantcrying »

p_j_w wrote: post #8
jitl wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google has 95% of search market, but none of the other examples have 95% of anything. What are Amazon, Apple, Microsoft’s monopolies? They all have substantial competitors across their various verticals. Amazon: Walmart (goods), Netflix (media) Microsoft: Apple (OS), Google, Amazon (enterprise compute) Apple: Microsoft (O, services), Samsung (mobile), Google (mobile, services), Netflix (media)

Microsoft has over 90% of the desktop OS and Office software markets. It’s impossible to come up with a reasonable definition of monopoly that doesn’t include them in those markets.

It isn't about market share, but about anti-competitive practices.

Is Microsoft abusing their market position to keep competitors out of the market?

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#43

Post by lawn »

charcircuit wrote: post #5

>Google has maintained this monopoly, the government alleges, not by making a better product, but by locking down everywhere that consumers might be able to find a different search engine option, and making sure they only see Google. Google improves search every year. Internally they have data to back this up. Google doesn't lock down everywhere consumers can learn about a new browser. The most notable being the defa…

> Google improves search every year.

Google search has decreased in quality significantly the last years.

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#44

Post by bogwog »

lucasfcosta wrote: post #20

I think one argument that’s missing from the article is how that impacts foreign policies. What about competing with foreign giants, for example? China probably won’t break up their large companies, and, in a global market, those can then use their outsized economic power to impose themselves against the counterparts elsewhere. I’m not saying that will necessarily happen, just mentioning an argument I’ve heard quite…

If China doesn't break up their giants, then they will lose.

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#45

Post by bbor »

offtwit wrote: post #25

It sounds like this is only about google search. How can that be broken up? Or are they just going to get fined many billions of dollars and they lose their right to being the default search engine on iPhones?

The author is just focusing on this aspect bc that’s this case, but there’s multiple ongoing. E.g. there’s one about monopolistic practices in the online ad business.

Specifically here:

  How does Google lock out rivals? Well, it pays $45 billion a year to have distributors refuse to carry its competitor’s products, signing deals with “Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung; major U.S. wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; and browser developers such as Mozilla, Opera, and UCWeb— to secure default status for its general search engine and, in many cases, to specifically prohibit Google’s counterparties from dealing with Google’s competitors.”

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#48

Post by convolvatron »

tobylane wrote: post #41
dantheman wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to say google controls your communication. You: 1. Voluntary use their services 2. There are lots of alternatives 3. The switching cost is minimal

Even if you personally don't use GMail, a considerable amount of personal emails have at least one participant who uses it. Every social person who uses email has some of their communication read by Google. People who like hyperbole will phrase that as all of their communication is data mined and therefore controlled.

moreover - as someone who doesn't use gmail - I'm subject to their capricious and unknowable policies about incoming mail. they get to decide if I can actually speak to half the internet.

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#49

Post by waithuh »

growingentropy wrote: post #36
hackernewds wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would rather give my data to one entity, than thousands of fragmented ones. Some things can only be accomplished at scale, and also risk getting into the wrong hands (re Twitter)

If you only want one entity having your data, you're better off being abused by Apple. Google invites all his friends over to run a train on you.

Why do you think that Apple doesnt do that?

Re: The antitrust trial against Google is starting in September

#50

Post by waithuh »

jart wrote: post #26
hackernewds wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would rather give my data to one entity, than thousands of fragmented ones. Some things can only be accomplished at scale, and also risk getting into the wrong hands (re Twitter)

If Google gets broken up, Gmail will end up like the PSTN. Anyone can monitor your location. Anyone can read your messages. Anyone can spoof your address.

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