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EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

theguardian.com

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Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#151

Post by pseudony »

baridbelmedar wrote: post #147

The EU as a whole is walking a tightrope. Its largest economies still depend heavily on the US market. If the current US regime perceives that US companies are being targeted by EU "taxes", regardless of whether those laws are legitimate, there is a real danger of US retaliation. Key sectors could take the hit, including automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, electronics, fashion, textiles, and lu…

Yes. But what this discussion so often misses is.. So is the US.

The US needs military bases, it needs general market access, it wants to sell military equipment and so on and so on. The US is already being reckless with the relationship and diversification is underway, but how deep the split will be is in large part determined by how the US wants to behave going forward.

It's like a divorce, there aren't really any winners here (in terms of wealth, assets, ...). So it's a tightrope both need to walk, balancing each other's interests.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#153

Post by lardosaurusrex »

baridbelmedar wrote: post #147

The EU as a whole is walking a tightrope. Its largest economies still depend heavily on the US market. If the current US regime perceives that US companies are being targeted by EU "taxes", regardless of whether those laws are legitimate, there is a real danger of US retaliation. Key sectors could take the hit, including automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, electronics, fashion, textiles, and lu…

I think that's the point; much like how Canada isn't blinkimg every time the US jacks up whatever nonsense tariffs.

They know it's going to hurt and they can't just order their own country -- or in the case of the EU; countries -- to fully decouple and so they're using the pain to encourage the creation and growth of alternatives.

Nobody says it isn't painful or that it isn't going to suck but it's viewed as inevitable rather than something to be avoided.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#155

Post by tialaramex »

baridbelmedar wrote: post #147

The EU as a whole is walking a tightrope. Its largest economies still depend heavily on the US market. If the current US regime perceives that US companies are being targeted by EU "taxes", regardless of whether those laws are legitimate, there is a real danger of US retaliation. Key sectors could take the hit, including automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, electronics, fashion, textiles, and lu…

> there is a real danger of US retaliation

This would make some sense under normal circumstances. However the Trump administration isn't "retaliating" except in the same sense you saw ICE "retaliating" by murdering unarmed protesters.

Violent bullies respect strength to the extent they respect anything at all.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#156

Post by leonidasrup »

baridbelmedar wrote: post #147

The EU as a whole is walking a tightrope. Its largest economies still depend heavily on the US market. If the current US regime perceives that US companies are being targeted by EU "taxes", regardless of whether those laws are legitimate, there is a real danger of US retaliation. Key sectors could take the hit, including automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, electronics, fashion, textiles, and lu…

US tariffs on EU automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, electronics, fashion, textiles, and luxury food and wine, would be only slap on wrist.

The real danger of US retaliation for EU are: export tariffs on US LNG, loosing arms exports for Ukraine. This the real EU delicate balancing act.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#157

Post by stodor89 »

suslik wrote: post #134
account42 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if a train ticket costs 9 Euros and a fine is 60 Euros but you are almost never checked it quickly becomes cheaper to eat the fines.

Until the tragedy of the commons kicks in.

That's a problem for future Homer. Man, I don't envy that guy!

pours vodka into a mayo jar

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#158

Post by suslik »

throwway120385 wrote: post #140
suslik wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in a city where police can fine you for biking in the night without the lights on, but police catches people so rarely that, per ride, the mathematical expectation of a fine was lower than the cost of batteries.

You really shouldn't apply statistics this way. Expected value is useful if you're an insurance company because you can price insurance products slightly above the expected value, but if the fine is $100, batteries are $90, and you get fined after going on 10 bike rides the fine doesn't magically become $10 it's still $100 and you still could've saved $10 by spending $90 before getting on your bike. That is, unless y…

I mean that if fine / E[N_f] '.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#159

Post by moronicles »

benoau wrote: post #137
moronicles wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A list of features that would allow third-party AI systems background access to your microphone, camera, screen contents, location, notifications, contacts, SMS, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Maps, and Phone. If this were granted, the expectation is that we would act surprised when it is fast-followed by requirements to use EU-controlled systems that can monitor this content.

The other option is nobody has this access, since it is only required because Google have built this access for themselves and the DMA simply requires they do not have privileged access because it is not competitive. This is a problem that only exists because Google wants that access for their own benefits.

It is required to facilitate the AI features Google wants for its product. What you're advocating is not having those features. That's fine, but it is also not going to happen. If this is what the EU wanted they'd be asking for these features to be disabled, not to have access.

Re: EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

#160

Post by Teever »

inigyou wrote: post #144
bornfreddy wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2026: Google again found breaking the law.

yeah, 8 years later? If someone was born on the last one they're now in 4th grade and halfway to being able to drive. Are these really correlated events?

Given that Larry Page and Sergey Brin still control Alphabet, still act with impunity, and show no signs of slowing down yes, they are absolutes correlated events.
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