France and the Netherlands Call For Tough EU Powers To Curb Big Tech (cnbc.com) 25
France and the Netherlands have proposed stricter EU rules to oversee large technology firms, such as Alphabet, Facebook and Amazon. From a report: In a joint document, seen by CNBC and due to be sent to the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, the two countries suggested that an EU authority should be able to control the market position of these large tech platforms. "Our common ambition is to design a framework that will be efficient enough to address the economic footprint of such actors on the European economy and to be able to 'break them open,'" Cedric O, the secretary of state for digital transition in France, said in a statement. "Access to data, to services, interoperability ... these are efficient tools that we should be able to use, with a tailor-made approach, in order to tackle market foreclosure and ensure freedom of choice for consumers," he added. The EU, arguably at the forefront of regulation in this space, has intensified talks regarding Big Tech and the competitive landscape over the last 12 months. In addition to pursuing anti-trust investigations on some of the largest firms, the Commission is also working on data protection rules.
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Indeed. It is easy to sound tough on regulation when the businesses doing all the actual work are based elsewhere because your own regulatory environment is a disincentive to businesses in your own region. But if you push and push, all stick and no carrot, all you'll ever do is regulate somewhere else's big tech business, because you'll never have that kind of tech sector of your own.
Re:Not curb, bleed (Score:4, Insightful)
It seems like a better plan than the US one of removing Section 230 protection and letting them flounder.
This should achieve the same goal by opening up the market. The political leanings of Twitter will become irrelevant because there will be a healthy market for micro blogging services. Interoperability will ensure that even if Facebook decides to ban anti-vaxx posts you can join an anti-vaxx friendly social network and still communication with your friends and family on other sites.
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Not really comparable. Section 230 protects social media from civil lawsuits for what they host on their sites. Remove that would make them just like any other website or publisher. What France is proposing is government regulation which will allow the government fine these companies for not bending to their will. Particularly for the crime of not being French owned.
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The problem is that the value is in the number of people on the platform. That's also the curse, since a large number of people together always goes wrong as well. But a "healthy market for micro-blogging services" won't occur - I mean, take video right this moment. How often do you see Vimeo these days com
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That Travis Scott meal actually isn't bad as far as shitty $6 burgers go. Better than anything I can whip up in my microwave. To get to the next tier of burger you'll be spending $10 and up, and you probably don't even get a Sprite with that.
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US cultural superiority = McDonalds? Okay, mr. alleged president, you can stop posting here now, you've done enough damage.
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I recall many of them are getting great tax deals in Ireland. I think the best thing for the world would be for the EU to bleed them right back into their home country, then maybe real competitors could arise. I mean, they'd just find a different island to stash their money on, but if they end up barred from doing business in the EU that limits their global reach.
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The EU isn't as concerned with perceived abuses by "big tech", as it is with finding a way to get money out of it that they aren't getting now.
Taxes aren't just for non-American corporations.
Don't know about the Netherlands (Score:2)
This feels like a distraction as well as an attempt by the Establishment to take back the Internet. I've said this before, I'll say it again: If the 1% understood what the Internet was they
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Now they understand, and they're moving to take it back.
It's easy to do. A quick call to your ISP, and *beep*, no more internet. Without big money, there is no internet. They never lost it. Everything is under control and working smoothly.
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and there's a growing Nationalism movement that's kinda scary
Fortunately MAGAland has no such problems!
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While those "very fine people" are certainly a threat to liberty in the US, I'm far more concerned with the "Reichsbürger" that may live just around the corner. The bullets fired from their guns can hurt me. The bullets of organizations like "Proud Boys" can not. And while I'm probably just
so, how much big tech do you want to drive out? (Score:1)
comes a point where Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, et al will just say, "we'll just block all EU domains and adjust our business?"
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That's unlikely. The EU market is huge for them. But what they might do is respond by investing less in their facilities within the EU, say, or by building or moving strategic assets elsewhere. They don't have to pull some all-or-nothing take their ball and go home move here.
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comes a point where Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, et al will just say, "we'll just block all EU domains and adjust our business?"
Just like they blocked all chinese domains?
Just don't Do what the UK Did... (Score:2)
"... economic footprint ..." (Score:2)
Trump calls the same fucking thing, "... a threat to national security ..."
Interesting, that they target just American. (Score:2)