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EU Expected To Hit Google with Another Massive Antitrust Fine (fortune.com)
If you thought the European Commission was done hitting Google with massive fines, think again. From a report: Having already whacked the U.S. company with a $2.7 billion fine in 2017 (for disadvantaging comparison-shopping rivals in its search results) and a $5 billion fine last year (for disadvantaging software rivals in the Android ecosystem,) the Commission will reportedly issue another financial penalty next week. The fine's imminent nature was reported Friday by the Financial Times, citing three unnamed sources. The Commission and Google both declined to provide comment on the report. It is all about Google's restrictions on the "AdSense for Search" boxes that third-party websites use to make it easier for users to search their sites. Searches conducted through the boxes bring up Google ads and, with Google having such a dominant position in the European online search advertising market, the Commission warned the company in 2016 that it believed the company was illegally abusing its position.
We can only hope.
Maybe Google would change its evil ways then.
It's all Obama's fault. Mass shootings streamed live on Facebook are his fault too. You can't blame Trump.
When you can not tax them, them make up crimes and hit them with massive fines. I notice that America is now joining that attitude.
I wonder how soon the west will realize that this approach is destroying us? Perhaps Xi and Putin (along with their online trolls ) can write a book about how to destroy western nations.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
You have to stop the behaviour for them to stop the fines.
If you don't stop the behaviour, you can't stop the fines.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
honestly, this is not a cost of doing business. block access to EU countries. see what happens.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Uk will be even worse.
Google *DOES NOT DOMINATE* anything.
Google *IS NOT A MONOPOLY*.
Here's the thing.
Google's positioning is controlled by *GASP* the people. The people that use Google's services control where Google ranks in all of it's offerings.
If the *PEOPLE* don't want Google to rank high, they'll stop using Google's services.
Once people stop using them, advertisers will fall away as well.
So really, EU fucking EUdiots, it's EUr own people (EUropeans) that are telling you, excplicitly, to leave Google the fuck alone.
Get it through your thick fucking skulls.
If your people want to use Google, stop fucking with Google.
Not to defend Google, but the EU is addicted to the money Google and Facebook has and are *inventing* new ways to take that money from them.
Google and Facebook can simply stop letting users in those countries connect to their systems and just not pay the fines. That would put an end to this before it gets worse by spreading to fining other companies that can't handle billions in losses. So far it is contained to Google and Facebook but could easily spread.
The likes of Google have avoided taxes worldwide. The EU are simply using another way to collect. Other countries could learn here.
Are there no other similar search websites?
& if there are, then how Google Search is a monopoly?
& if not monopoly, on what legal basis really, it could be treated as such?
This is just another example of the EU pretending to care when they don't have enough money to fund their ridiculous social policies. Whenever they need cash, just make up some random BS and take the money from some wealthy corporation. It's a double win for the politicians. They get to be the good guys fighting against evil capitalism and simultaneously paying for their wealth re-distribution policies that have no chance at actually succeeding on their own.
has to fund itself somehow.
;)
Just my 2 cents
Europe is already making a mint from unfair trade agreements with us. They pocket a cool $150 billion every single year. Just to be clear, remember Bernie's "free college" program that was widely mocked as unaffordable? That was $60 billion a year. Trump's wall? $25 billion one-time. 150 big ones still isn't enough for them. Even with all this fat cash, they can't find enough money in the cupboard to pay for their fair share of NATO. Why are we even in NATO any more? It should have thrown itself a victory party after the Soviet Union fell and been disbanded. Most members can't fight an invading girl scout troop successfully, much less make a meaningful contribution to collective defense. How about contributing instead of taking? From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs, isn't that the quintessential European sentiment?
What I heard was, we pay for their shit and in return we get compliance with our wishes. This hasn't been true for decades if it was ever true at all. Instead, we get overtly hostile acts like this. And before anyone starts, this didn't begin with Trump. It goes back a long way.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Apple is worse with its closed anticompetitive os.
Your faggot brain is Trump's dick cozy.
I love it. If you canâ(TM)t tax them, fine them!
on productive and innovative brands.
What EU nations can't control they tax.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
but this strikes me as SO much EU overreaching.
I'm not understanding the who in the EU is behind the fines. As in actually the people. Typically there's a ring leader and followers.
I'm too lazy to DDG the answer, but would welcome a NEUTRAL but informed EU citizen to educate us.
That ain't English Ivan.
Just more trolling from you WindTroll.
I detest the Fourth Reich^H^H^H^the EU even more.
So, no matter who "wins" in this, I hate them both.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Keep em' coming boys. Fine them to hell and back, and Facebook too.
It's amusing how people refuse to read the source and jump to conclusions:
---
The Commission at the time complained about three things: that Google was forcing the third-party websites not to source search ads from competitors; that it required them to reserve the most prominent spots in its search results pages for Google ads; and that Google required them to seek its approval every time they wanted to change the display of competing search ads.
Google has since 2016 phased out such contractual terms in order to address the Commission’s concerns, though that would not change the fact that—per the Commission’s allegations—it was breaking EU antitrust law for a decade.
---
It makes sense.
Google is providing a service with Adsense for search. People are using it to earn money by showing google ads beside their own content. WTF is wrong with EU? How is google supposed to show other ads? Who will pay me the website owner for showing these other ads? Also google has a commercial search for websites without ads.
...that the EU budget is running a bit thin. Time to fine a big tech company!