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Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

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Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#151

Post by wolfendin »

theshrike79 wrote: post #87
fwlr wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's governments vs corporations; the 500 million people aren't actually being represented in either camp. Being a subject is little better than being a consumer, and in some ways much worse.

I can vote for who decides things in the EU. I have no say in how Google, for example, does their business. I'm way too poor for that. I'd need literal billions of stock to get Satya Nadella's phone number =)

Good for you, I can’t and now I have to deal with endless pop ups about cookies.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#152

Post by malermeister »

pjerem wrote: post #127
Kwpolska wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's an EU parliament election in a few weeks or so, how is that undemocratic?

The EU Parliament can’t make decisions, it can only veto the commission which acts as an unelected government (nominated by elected representatives of each country). But I agree with you that this idea of an undemocratic EU is rather false and really dangerous. Everyone feels like this because nobody understands that the commission don’t represent the interests of their country but those of all the European countries…

The Comission is appointed by directly elected governments, e.g. with one proxy in-between.

It is as (un-) democratic as the American Presidency, considering the Electoral College.

Yet you never hear complaints about the EC from the same types that love to rally against the Commission.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#153

Post by llm_trw »

martimarkov wrote: post #150
llm_trw wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EU started as the European Coal and Steel Community which explains most of the beurocracy its saddled with.

It’s like saying the US started as a colony and that explains the lack of its progressive democracy and having a static constitution. Just because something started as X doesn’t mean that evolution didn’t happen. The reasons for the bureaucracy are a lot and different but come down to power sharing between the stakeholders.

There were two revolutions in the US that changed its politic course significantly. The EU has always been a beurocracy first.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#154

Post by martimarkov »

paganel wrote: post #138
MrDresden wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are taking the side of a 3 trillion dollor consumer goods company's bottom line, rather than 500 million people's right to choice and privacy. You do realise that, don't you?

The ghouls in Brussels do not represent us all, they do not represent anyone, if we’re talking democracy. It’s a battle over clout and economic resources between whoever is backing these technocrats and some of the biggest corporations in the world, most of us EU citizens have a lot of more important worries on our minds.

Ummm like what? Tell me what are there problems that we need to worry about where a battle over “economic resources” is you know… not a part of the solution or problem.

Also if we are talking democracy and representation- it’s quite obvious you are mistaken. We have the European Parliament elections so… you know democratically elected representatives.

Feel free to share you view on democracy but it will be in conflict with that the real definition of word is given your comment.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#155

Post by [deleted] »

lispm wrote: post #137
davidgerard wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yep. From Baldur Bjarnason: > For months, we’ve been hearing leaks about Apple’s talks with the EU about the Digital Market Act. Those talks were not negotiations even though Apple seems to have thought they were. https://www.baldurbjarnason.com/2024/facing-reality-in-the-e... The EU cannot allow a large business to mess around like this.

> The purpose of is the EU single market That's also a misconception. The EU single market is an important project, but there is a constant failure to understand the actual reason why the EU exists or also a purposeful misinterpretation. Countries joining the EU are requested not to join because of the single market, but because they want to join the political project of a more peaceful and an improving Europe. At it…

[deleted]

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#156

Post by lucianbr »

llm_trw wrote: post #144
lispm wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The purpose of is the EU single market That's also a misconception. The EU single market is an important project, but there is a constant failure to understand the actual reason why the EU exists or also a purposeful misinterpretation. Countries joining the EU are requested not to join because of the single market, but because they want to join the political project of a more peaceful and an improving Europe. At it…

The EU started as the European Coal and Steel Community which explains most of the beurocracy its saddled with.

How do coal and steel explain bureaucracy? Sounds non-sequitur-ish.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#157

Post by vsl »

malermeister wrote: post #148
paganel wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ghouls in Brussels do not represent us all, they do not represent anyone, if we’re talking democracy. It’s a battle over clout and economic resources between whoever is backing these technocrats and some of the biggest corporations in the world, most of us EU citizens have a lot of more important worries on our minds.

They represent me and my fellow non-extremist citizens. Is the EU perfect? No. Is it better than any alternative? Yes.

Calling people you disagree with "extremist" is a step too far.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#158

Post by freetanga »

riffraff wrote: post #46
_the_inflator wrote: post #3

Very valid points. In my view they miss the mark however. Blaming Apple for optimizing their platform model isn’t the problem, it became a problem. Imagine 2007 and the following years already with the EU act in full effect. AppStore would be dead on arrival. In my view Apple’s AppStore went from feature some people have when they buy a smartphone to necessity. 2007 and even 2016 was a perfect time to opt for a live…

> Imagine 2007 and the following years already with the EU act in full effect. AppStore would be dead on arrival. App stores on platforms where competition is allowed still thrive, I'm sure you heard of Steam?

Xbox, Sony and Nintendo each has its own e-store plus physical copies (first and second hand) in many retailers.

Epic, Rockstar, EA, Paradigm, etc each have their own e-Shops too.

Any dev can choose to sell direct too (your Mac, Win or Linux will happily install third party software)

And Steam has GoG and other competitors (I often used Humble Bundle)

You

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#159

Post by fleshdaddy »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #149
Animats wrote: post #129

The EU is also grinding forward towards classifying all gig workers controlled by "platforms" as employees, with the platform subject to all employment laws. See "Improving working conditions of persons working through digital labour platforms "[1] Background: [2] Last vote in the European parliament: 554 votes in favour, 56 votes against and 24 abstentions. This is somewhat weakened but still stronger than anything…

Uber should be worried, but also because they are no longer cheaper than the established competition (taxis) that already had the labour laws in place.

For me at least it’s not actually the price of the Uber but that I know what it will be up front. I wasn’t really taking cabs until uber was ubiquitous though so maybe that’s not the same for everyone.

Re: Big Tech to EU: "Drop Dead"

#160

Post by polotics »

paganel wrote: post #138
MrDresden wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are taking the side of a 3 trillion dollor consumer goods company's bottom line, rather than 500 million people's right to choice and privacy. You do realise that, don't you?

The ghouls in Brussels do not represent us all, they do not represent anyone, if we’re talking democracy. It’s a battle over clout and economic resources between whoever is backing these technocrats and some of the biggest corporations in the world, most of us EU citizens have a lot of more important worries on our minds.

May I ask you to consider that possibly what you refer as ghouls are no more no less ghoulish than MBA's somewhere in the valley planning on maximum screen-addiction for ten year olds. At some point you have to face the possibility that the opposite of a bad thing may also be an equally bad thing...
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