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Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
221–230 of 458 posts
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#222While I am in favour of efforts like the GDPR to protect users data, I wonder if all this anti-bigtech sentiment is actually justified and where it will eventually lead to
The EU appeal the article is about has nothing at all to do with GDPR, user data, or privacy.
It's about anticompetitive behaviour, i.e. antitrust. Antitrust is not particularly about tech companies, and it has been around a long time, since before modern computers.
It's about misusing a position of market dominance to prevent a healthy competitive market from operating. Very large companies which are market-dominant face this problem, but they also have the resources to understand and handle the responsibility. They can either do so, or face fines and injunctions to make them do so. In severe cases they can be forced to break up dominant business units, such as happened with the breakup of AT&T in the USA some years ago.
This is the same sort of thing as might have blocked nVidia from buying ARM, for example (until nVidia pulled out voluntarily). You can see how that has nothing to do with GDPR; it wasn't even in the EU.
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
If privacy is a top concern why are you walking around with a tracking device. Even without Google. It's literally a tracking device.
This is a defeatist justification for using Android that fails to account for the fact that neither Apple nor anyone whose app is on my phone knows where it is right now. My cell carrier has a non-precise idea of where it is, but may not be able to tie it conclusively to my identity.
Your cell carrier will be able to pinpoint your location very accurately in a urban location. If you look at people getting convicted of various crimes you'll see the location data they're able to extract from the phone number.
Also, they will almost certainly be able to tie it to your identity even on a burner phone by who you contact. If you have a contract then obivously they will tie it. If you have a pay as you go and make payments via non cash methods then that will be tied. Cash payments and the location you made them from will help conclusively tie it to your identity with a half decent amount of work.
You are able to disable gps hardware on some Android phones. But as previously noted, no matter who your phone manufacturer is, it is a tracking device.
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
The irony is that if Google had not licensed Android and only manufactured its own devices, like Apple does, it could restrict consumer options much more harshly without EU fines and restrictions.
Theoretically, yes. But I am confident the EU would find other ways to extract fines from Google in that case.
“Extract fines” makes it sound like the EU is the evil one here, rather than Google abusing its position.
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
The irony is that if Google had not licensed Android and only manufactured its own devices, like Apple does, it could restrict consumer options much more harshly without EU fines and restrictions.
Theoretically, yes. But I am confident the EU would find other ways to extract fines from Google in that case.
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Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
The irony is that if Google had not licensed Android and only manufactured its own devices, like Apple does, it could restrict consumer options much more harshly without EU fines and restrictions.
Theoretically, yes. But I am confident the EU would find other ways to extract fines from Google in that case.
As a counterexample there's Apple with not insignificant market share in Europe - pushing icloud, not supporting third party operating sysems or even sideloading, still keeping proprietary connector despite everyone else using usb-c, etc.
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#227A summary of the original findings by the European Commission (1): "By decision of 18 July 2018, the Commission fined Google for having abused its dominant position by imposing anticompetitive contractual restrictions on manufacturers of mobile devices and on mobile network operators, in some cases since 1 January 2011. Three types of restriction were identified: 1. those contained in ‘distribution agreements’, requi…
#2 is the same thing Microsoft got busted for by US antitrust in the late 90s. Microsoft had required computer vendors to NOT sell computers with other OSes (eg Linux). At one point they insisted computer vendors pay for a Windows license on all computers they shipped, even ones shipped without Windows.
Now, it is implicit, and you better care or the hidden OEM price of doz, will skyrocket for _you_.
Even, rumors says that a future doz update may brick _your_ hardware...
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#228A summary of the original findings by the European Commission (1): "By decision of 18 July 2018, the Commission fined Google for having abused its dominant position by imposing anticompetitive contractual restrictions on manufacturers of mobile devices and on mobile network operators, in some cases since 1 January 2011. Three types of restriction were identified: 1. those contained in ‘distribution agreements’, requi…
#2 is the same thing Microsoft got busted for by US antitrust in the late 90s. Microsoft had required computer vendors to NOT sell computers with other OSes (eg Linux). At one point they insisted computer vendors pay for a Windows license on all computers they shipped, even ones shipped without Windows.
Is it? My reading of #2 suggests Google just didn't want phones with ancient or beta versions of Android in the market with Google branding. Fairly reasonable demand, if you ask me.
#1 is right up the alley that busted Microsoft, though.
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#229Quoted post unavailable.
Isn’t that the case with any fine collected by any government? Why are people suddenly so much against these types of fines when it’s the EU fining them?
Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
The EU insisting on all phones standardizing on the USB connector is evidence of just the opposite and shows the cluelessness and shortsightness of the EU. You will still have phones that come with “standard USB C” cables where some support different power delivery, data speeds (or not support data transfer at all), very few will support video over USB C (which is standardized), etc. So still when the Android user wi…
> So still when the Android user with the cheap power only USB C cord moves over to the hypothetical iPhone 15 with USB C, they will still have to throw away their USB C cable that potentially doesn’t support high speed data or video over USB C. Except that it's still a perfectly fine cable for charging, which is what most people do with their cables?
As long as you don’t care about data transfers of the very large video and photos that modern phones can create or connecting to a larger screen. If you want to “avoid ewaste” why not “mandate” more than the least common denominator?
If iPhone users were satisfied with the least common denominator, they would be buying cheap Android phones.