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European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

europa.eu

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Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#131

Post by sweden »

theBobBob wrote: post #72

The thing is, personally I prefer getting integrated results from Google's other search services when I do a Google search. I like getting Google Maps results when I search for a location, I like getting Google Flights results etc. When I do a Google search I am not just using it as a simple website search. I want it to use it to search the whole Google suite of services. If they are forced to stop doing this it will…

Because it works for you, it doesn't mean it works for everyone else.

Of all Google's services I don't care about:

- Google Shopping, I never saw a reason to use it and I never did, I prefer to use local shops or Amazon

- Google Maps, I actually prefer Open Street Maps. The amount of detail on OSM is staggering and in many ways, I think the data is much more complete than Google Maps

- Google reviews about restaurants and businesses, I prefer to use TripAdvisor

- Google Books, I prefer using Amazon and Kobo Store

- Google Flights, I was never able to get anything useful out of this service. I usually use Momondo

As you can see, the only thing that is interesting to me about Google is the search engine and yet, it keeps throwing to my face all these services I don't use and that I don't care about.

Worse, it takes the spotlight from the services I actually use. So yes, this is Microsoft all over again: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#132

Post by Radle »

cyxxon wrote: post #92
theBobBob wrote: post #72

The thing is, personally I prefer getting integrated results from Google's other search services when I do a Google search. I like getting Google Maps results when I search for a location, I like getting Google Flights results etc. When I do a Google search I am not just using it as a simple website search. I want it to use it to search the whole Google suite of services. If they are forced to stop doing this it will…

> If they are forced to stop doing this it will make my search experience worse for me. This seems to be the whole point of the fine. Currently Google's services just so damned conveniently integrated that no one uses competitors' services, even if they are better. The thing is, though, I am totally with you here. I don't want to use one of the other services for maps, or flights, or these snippets for information. T…

Did you read the articel? Google is not allowed to put itself or products from Alphabet higher in the search results than third party products.

What kind of links they put up is googles decision. If they made a link "Shopping" next to "Maps" and "Images" everything would be fine.

The problem is search results. Consumers expect all results to be shown fairly, by not doing so Google violated it's position.

This is not about linking to products. It's about deceiving the customer.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#133

Post by kuisch »

mythz wrote: post #100

This is a ridiculous figure, how can they come up with a figure more than 2x times the amount of the previous record (for Intel's egregious behavior) for deciding what content goes on their own platform, which wasn't previously known to be illegal? What do they want to force Google to do now, prohibit being able to advertise on their own platform? give their competitors priority placement for free? How many rival com…

As stated in the press release, the fine has been calculated on the basis of the value of Google's revenue from its comparison shopping service in the 13 EEA countries concerned, taking into account the "duration and gravity" of the infringement. What the commission is asking is simply equal treatment between rival comparison shopping services and its own.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#134

Post by nthcolumn »

interfixus wrote: post #49

Please enlighten me: What kind of monopoly would that be? Much as I detest an awful lot of Google, I have never once been - and know of noone else who has ever been - forced to use their search against my will. In fact, I get along fine without it, as well as without their analytics and their browser and their cloud stuff, excepting of course that I am often forced to correspond with gmail addresses.

I don't think your argument that the company whose word has become so synonymous with internet search that you can look it up in the Oxford English dictionary is not a monopoly really holds much water. Pretty much everyone on the planet has been affected unless you won't be happy their dominance of this space is truly complete until the last hermit calls it day from his mountain view. You have chosen to eschew their services - I'll bet with some non-negligible degree of difficulty - but have forgotten that you are also affected passively by all the other people in the world googling - not for you now and not your services and so must be less prosperous for it. You are still affected by their dominance whether you use their services or not as they gain unlawful advantage over, and thereby affecting, all the other services you do use. I love the Google btw. The fine seems hefty and a bit like a shakedown but I'm sure they are not unduly worried.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#136

Post by pjc50 »

wyager wrote: post #42

What would Google have to do to ignore this fine? If they cut any physical presence in the EU, would the EC have any way to enforce this fine? Put another way, if the EU tried to take money from some random e.g. American or Japanese company without a physical presence in the EU, what channels could the EU use to twist their arm across national boundaries? Somewhat related, there could be good money in providing an ex…

Google could remove any presence they had in the EU, at huge expense (closing Google Dublin, abandoning all EU revenue); but that would also remove their ability to use Ireland and the Netherlands as tax havens. They'd have to submit to the US tax system instead.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#137

Post by TeMPOraL »

cyxxon wrote: post #92
theBobBob wrote: post #72

The thing is, personally I prefer getting integrated results from Google's other search services when I do a Google search. I like getting Google Maps results when I search for a location, I like getting Google Flights results etc. When I do a Google search I am not just using it as a simple website search. I want it to use it to search the whole Google suite of services. If they are forced to stop doing this it will…

> If they are forced to stop doing this it will make my search experience worse for me. This seems to be the whole point of the fine. Currently Google's services just so damned conveniently integrated that no one uses competitors' services, even if they are better. The thing is, though, I am totally with you here. I don't want to use one of the other services for maps, or flights, or these snippets for information. T…

> Currently Google's services just so damned conveniently integrated that no one uses competitors' services, even if they are better.

Here's the thing: they're not really better, because they're not integrated. Google tools tend to suck in many different ways, but their integration usually more than makes up for it.

> The thing is, though, I am totally with you here. I don't want to use one of the other services for maps, or flights, or these snippets for information. They are just search results for me. The integration is more important for me than ... better filtering, or whatnot. I can always go to one of those sites, but there really is no need, And frankly, it would really, really suck if I had to now.

I feel the same way. I described this point further yesterday in AMP thread:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14636642

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#138

Post by Nokinside »

mythz wrote: post #100

This is a ridiculous figure, how can they come up with a figure more than 2x times the amount of the previous record (for Intel's egregious behavior) for deciding what content goes on their own platform, which wasn't previously known to be illegal? What do they want to force Google to do now, prohibit being able to advertise on their own platform? give their competitors priority placement for free? How many rival com…

The answer for the first question is just there in the article. "the fine has been calculated on the basis of ....."

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#139

Post by kuisch »

dustinmoris wrote: post #125

Someone said once something which really describes this well: The EU hasn't contributed ANYTHING to the internet, but they are the ones who want to regulate it the most. :(

why should the ability to regulate be contingent on the level of contribution of the regulating authority?

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#140

Post by Atropos »

rsp1984 wrote: post #31
pavlakoos wrote: post #21

Does it hurt them at all?

Not the money part of it. Not sure about legal/strategic implications down the road.

They have 90 days to "stop the abusive practices", basically meaning find a way to redesign their website - this is what they really care about.
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