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Google Facing Billions in EU Antitrust Fines (axios.com)
Another EU antitrust fine for Google is coming down the pipe in mid-July over allegations Google has used its Android mobile operating system to beat out rivals, Reuters reports. From a report: The European Commission has been investigating the case since 2015. It's another example of how the EU takes anti-competition violations far more seriously than the U.S. In June of last year, the EU slapped Google with a record $2.8 billion fine for anti-trust practices around its search product, which they said unfairly pushed consumers to use Google's Shopping platform. Sources told Reuters they expect this new fine to top that record.
With a $2.8B fine, and another that could be higher, would it just be more profitable to stay away from the EU where they appear to keep their economy afloat via litigation (gross overgeneralization, but you know what I mean)?
Perhaps they should not have started a business in a place they where unwilling to follow the law.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
which they said unfairly pushed consumers to use Google's Shopping platform.
They have what now? As an European, this is the first time I am hearing about "google's shopping platform", ever
Running a personal data-mining business in a region of the world with strict policy laws? What could possibly go wrong?
What is preventing the EU from coming up with a better: hardware combination? Better search engine? Better operating system?
Socialism.
Well, they seem to be just changing the laws under them over and over again...becoming more onerous each time.
This is like the EU is trying to step up and dictate what a private company's business model is.
If the EU wants a search without the things Google offers and requires of its users, why don't they just build a state sponsored service, EUuugle or something and offer that to their citizens, rather than trying to dictate to a private company?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
This is why we need e.g. linux phones but they don't exist yet.
If there were sufficient demand for them, they would exist.
I'm not the biggest Google fan in the world, but if I were Google, I'd just say "ok", and turn off google entirely for EU for awhile, and see how they liked it.
I hope your wish comes true and Google does just that.
Because then one or more search engines would reach critical mass while also obeying the EU's privacy laws.
Those entities would then be able to compete against Google while lobbying the US to change its privacy laws.
Google would then have no business model, and would hopefully die a painful death (unless countries like China kept it afloat because they're willing to do the Chinese government's bidding...).
And all you Google fanbois can chew on THAT.
They don't have to build it, all they have to do is work their laws so that there is a healthy competitive market where companies are not allowed to subsidize their capabilities with behavior that they don't want, or at least the effect of such behavior is mitigated with penalties. That is exactly what they are doing. If a company makes billions of dollars violating the laws then what is the motivation to create an honest company locally?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Android is free to use.
No, it isn't.
AOSP is free to use. Android has strings and costs attached.
> if a manufacturer of an Android phone wants to offer different search engine options, Google should not interfere with that.
Google doesn't interfere with that.
Manufacturers are free to use Android through the AOSP. Amazon did this - their Fire phones didn't include Google's Play Store or other Google branded software.
If manufacturers want to include Google's suite of apps, they aren't restricted from also including rival apps.
Users are also able to choose different options both for the browser and search engine within the browser. Users want to use Google apps, manufacturers know this, so that's what the manufacturers include. If anything, the EU should be fining the manufacturers for not including other apps, or users for choosing to use Google apps.
I would love it if every one of the Top 5 (Apple, Microsoft, Google/Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon) said "You know what? Fuck it. We're out" and just left Europe entirely. Just leave it to its own devices.
The EU is larger economically than the US. Sure, they could leave, but they'd be losing a huge % of their profits. They don't want to do that. They also know if they left the EU it would give other countries free roam to fill in the gap and create their own companies doing the same thing. Those companies could then operate in the US.
It would be a death knell to those companies to leave the EU.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Manufacturers aren't prohibited from installing their own software, including software which serves the same functions as Google's options
Except that if you want to install any Google apps, then you must install the entire suite and if you want to install competing apps then there are different licensing terms that cost more. And if you don't then it's impossible for your customers to install most third-party software because Google has managed to achieve an effective monopoly on distribution of most Android apps. And if you do install the Play store then you also need Play services, which run with insane permissions and hook into almost every app installed from Play.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
There are no socialist countries in the EU.
And if there where: it would not prevent anyone to compete with Google.
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
Well, they seem to be just changing the laws under them over and over again...becoming more onerous each time.
Yep, companies keep doing increasingly dickish things os the EU regulations get tighter.
This is like the EU is trying to step up and dictate what a private company's business model is.
Yep the EU is dictating that being massive asshats is not a valid business model. I'm cool with that.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
would it just be more profitable to stay away from the EU
So just to be clear what you're saying is that staying away from a rich market twice the size of the USA is more profitable because of measly $2.8bn fine? I take it you've never actually seen a financial report before. You know that fine is less than Google's EU tax avoidance scheme right? A company that made $26bn last year, a large chunk of which was in EU business.
But yeah, let's make knee jerk reactions about something which we know nothing about because of ${scarybignumber}