Re:EU competition chief holds threat of breaking up Google
by jadedhacker on Monday March 26, 2018 @05:53PM
(#16682981)
You're kidding right? You don't think people would be upset when they cannot access their funds though their favored stock broker or bank? Each bank would lobby their customers to contact their representatives. They're too big to fail! They're too integral to the economy to consider even breaking them up. /s
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Re:EU competition chief holds threat of breaking up Google
by idbehold on Monday March 26, 2018 @06:44PM
(#16683353)
I'm not suggesting that Google isn't a monopoly or that it shouldn't be broken up. I'm suggesting that Google could withhold services from the EU instead of agreeing to be broken up. Unlike a bank where its customers could demand their money back, Google owes its users nothing.
Re:EU competition chief holds threat of breaking up Google
by jadedhacker on Monday March 26, 2018 @07:15PM
(#16683596)
Hmm that's an interesting point. However, much like a bank needs customers doesn't Google need users? I find it not very persuasive that withholding an entire continent of users would result in much more than an empty threat on Google's part. If Google can't service Europe, then Europe would develop its own services, much like China has, a terrifying prospect for both American foreign policy and Google's future prospects. Perhaps Europe would even turn to Baidu. I don't think that would happen, but the threat would be alarming to Google's negotiators.
Re:EU competition chief holds threat of breaking up Google
by ocdtrekkie on Monday March 26, 2018 @11:00PM
(#16684828)
EU law considers a citizen's data their personal property (akin to a bank holding a citizen's money), and Google is holding a lot of it. Google could get into significant additional legal trouble depending on the method they chose to withdraw their services.