“Investigations into how Google may be using its Android smartphone operating system and its AdSense advertising service to thwart rivals are advancing, Europe’s antitrust chief said on Wednesday, amid concern about the lengthy proceedings,” Reuters reports. “The European Commission opened its investigation into Android in 2015, following a complaint two years earlier from the lobbying group FairSearch.”
“A 2016 document seen by Reuters said the EU competition enforcer planned to levy a large fine against the company and would order it to stop giving revenue-sharing payments to smartphone makers to pre-install only Google Search,” Reuters reports. “It is also expected to tell the company, a unit of Alphabet, to stop requiring Google’s Chrome browser and other apps to be installed alongside Google’s Play store. In the AdSense case, Google was accused of blocking rivals in online search advertising in 2016.”
“‘We are advancing on our two cases involving Google, both the Android case and the AdSense case,’ European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told EU lawmakers,” Reuters reports. “‘Five years in the Google case seems an eternity,’ lawmaker Ramon Tremosa said. Echoing some of Google’s rivals, he has urged Vestager to break up the company. Such a move is unlikely because of the high legal threshold.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The pace is rather glacial.
Imagine if your livelihood depended on one company that had not only monopolized web search (and, thereby, basically controlled how new customers find you), but also controlled the bulk of online advertising dollars which funded your business and which they could pull, simply threaten to pull, or reduce rates at any time? Now also imagine if you believe this monopolist basically stole the product of another company that is the very subject of your business? How much would you criticize the monopolist thief’s business practices?
You might guess that it would be a tough road to walk. (We’re only imagining, of course!)
That would be a good example of why monopolies are bad for everyone.
The U.S. government has utterly failed to police Google. Because the people with the power to do so currently are corrupt. Follow the money. Hopefully, the European Union will help to correct the situation.
In the meantime, stop using Google search and Google products wherever possible. Monopolies are bad for everyone.
—
If you haven’t already, give DuckDuckGo a try! https://duckduckgo.com
—
With this unprecedented power, platforms have the ability to redirect into their pockets the advertising dollars that once went to newspapers and magazines. No one company should have the power to pick and choose which content reaches consumers and which doesn’t. — MacDailyNews, November 9, 2017
SEE ALSO:
The Google-Facebook duopoly threatens diversity of thought – December 19, 2017
Unfortunately, the glacial pace of reform is the bane in a democratic or republican governance. The alternative method is a dictatorship such as in Islamo-fascist Erdogan’s Turkey or, actually, in the US if the president can stampede the people into passing the dastardly and oppressive US Patriot Act.
Light speed compared to those terrorist twerps looking for that weapons of mass destruction program in Iraq and a lot less costly, in terms of civilian casualties, at least for those in Iraq. I doubt that the civilian casualties for Apple’s home nation amount to much from that so imagined threat to their national insecurity.
… developed ulcers by now over your hatred of the U.S. and the fact that whining little pussies like you can’t do a damn thing about it. I’m sure you cry yourself to sleep at night while sucking your thumb for solace. Nighty night snowflake.
On the contrary I don’t hate Apple’s home nation, rather I find it amusing to see the country descend into the fear and hatred of a terrorist bully nation and the feeble attempts at personal insults that fail to address the issue that a needless invasion and torture is for terrorist scum. I guess it takes a spine to stand up and see the immorality of such actions.
Now about your comments about the EU antitrust topic, oh you haven’t made any, your post is just a personal insult. Typical for citizen of a terrorist nation.
… because your little diatribe was soooo on point.
You’re just a broken record with an axe to grind, and your crocodile tears are easily seen for what they are.
Way more on point than your repeated and desperate personal attacks with your “aim for Bin Laden hit Hussein” guidance system and about as effective as your never ending search for that weapons of mass destruction program.
By all means continue, people should never forget who the traitors to humanity are and I certainly don’t mind reminding them.
No comment about the EU still? I guess you just can’t get it up.
… shove the EU where the sun don’t shine, if you can get anything more up that sphincter of yours Nancy.
Thanks for the invite butt I’ve seen what happens when people try that with the stars and skid marks.
I hate google ads, or any ads where ever they are, now i get ads while browsing Amazon. This site is a cancer of Google ads. if not google, it will be someone else.Hate them
MDN is an avid customer of Google AdSense. Their hypocrisy is self evident.