Word leaked out on Friday in Brussels that The European Parliament is going to call for the break-up of Google. That must be a tough pill to swallow for Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. Sorry Mr. Schmidt, apparently you can’t bully the European continent the way you’ve recently attempted to bully technology leaders such as Tim Cook about Google’s modus vivendi.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weinstein/europe-declares-war-on-go_b_6202194.html
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
As if Google cares lol
Still, good try on EU’s behalf.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
[QUOTE=GayDemon;154622]As if Google cares lol
Still, good try on EU’s behalf.[/QUOTE]
Not sure I understand.
Google has complied with laws in other nations, such as China, so what would be different here?
I think this is a great move, Google is too powerful, and answers to no national authority. It’s a self appointed internet regulator dictating to businesses all over the world while answering to no one, It’s about time its power and influence was diminished.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
If organisations or businesses that become too big and have too much power should be broken up, why not start with the EU ? 
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
[QUOTE=conran;154626]Not sure I understand.
Google has complied with laws in other nations, such as China, so what would be different here?
I think this is a great move, Google is too powerful, and answers to no national authority. It’s a self appointed internet regulator dictating to businesses all over the world while answering to no one, It’s about time its power and influence was diminished.[/QUOTE]
Don’t get me wrong, I think Google is far too big and powerful for their own good. But EU is a mess and whatever they would get out of Google would either take years and years or be something really watered down. They’ve gone after both Google and Microsoft before but made little difference.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
I agree the EU has too much power, and more should be returned to the member states, but there’s no denying Europe has done what it was intended to do - prevent conflict and increase the living standards of those within it. Plenty of people criticize the costs and the rules we agree to abide by (which also help millions in each member nation) while ignoring the benefits of larger economic markets, ease of movement, increased employment opportunities… I often have debates with people in the UK who think we should leave the EU, but they always seem to ignore the benefits of business and trade, and the fact that this partnership was intended to increase prosperity for all and create cooperation, and it’s done exactly that - when countries rely on each other for trade and resources, they’re less likely to start throwing bombs at each other.
There is no denying that living standards and quality of life has increased dramatically thanks to the creation of the EU, something that probably would not have been otherwise
The only problem is one of bureaucracy becoming ridiculous and overreaching, but then this happens with all governments when the people are less engaged and aren’t paying attention.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
[QUOTE=conran;154637]I agree the EU has too much power, and more should be returned to the member states, but there’s no denying Europe has done what it was intended to do - prevent conflict and increase the living standards of those within it. Plenty of people criticize the costs and the rules we agree to abide by (which also help millions in each member nation) while ignoring the benefits of larger economic markets, ease of movement, increased employment opportunities… I often have debates with people in the UK who think we should leave the EU, but they always seem to ignore the benefits of business and trade, and the fact that this partnership was intended to increase prosperity for all and create cooperation, and it’s done exactly that - when countries rely on each other for trade and resources, they’re less likely to start throwing bombs at each other.
There is no denying that living standards and quality of life has increased dramatically thanks to the creation of the EU, something that probably would not have been otherwise
The only problem is one of bureaucracy becoming ridiculous and overreaching, but then this happens with all governments when the people are less engaged and aren’t paying attention.[/QUOTE]
I know there are a lot of benefits, but what you describe is exactly what the Schengen agreement (which was signed in 1985) was about. That agreement made a huge difference and has helped to grow economies of all countries involved.Thanks to the Schengen agreement we got open borders and custom formalities (for goods and people) all of a sudden were a thing of the past. The UK wasn’t part of the original Schengen agreement, so perhaps the impact of free movement under EU regulations made a much bigger impact in the UK.
I do agree with you. I am all for a united Europe when it comes to trade and military defense, but almost 25 years after the EU was founded it has become way too powerful. Countries are losing their own identity and their interference goes as far as implementing laws about how powerful vacuum cleaners are allowed to be. That’s a very extreme example, but do we really need the EU to change laws about vacuum cleaners or have them change pension plans?
The EU should stick to its core and reform itself to become a much more efficient organization. But I think 90% of the people living in the member states would agree on that.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
I think we have gone way off topic and should get back to Google.
If the EU could force them to make their DMCA procedure a tad easier to use, I am all for it!
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
[QUOTE=BelAmiOnline;154639]I think we have gone way off topic and should get back to Google.
If the EU could force them to make their DMCA procedure a tad easier to use, I am all for it![/QUOTE]
I think the discussion, although a little off topic, is directly related to what you are asking. How can we say that products and services in one country should not be influenced by EU decisions when it comes to the power of a vacuum cleaner, but they should be held to the same standards in other aspects of business?
It all comes back to the same problem of weighing up the pro’s and con’s of any given regulation. Local and national governments have to do it all the time, deciding to ban something some enjoy in specific circumstances in order to satisfy demands for safety (for example) from another group of people.
I do agree that that some things should be down to individual nations, but in the case of a global corporation in so many markets, they should have to abide by regional and national laws. If the people are demanding stricter controls and regulations on those global corporations, the government those people elect has no choice but to act on behalf of those people.
Google can operate all over the world, but it has to comply with the demands of the public of those nations and by extension the laws created by those governments.
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
[QUOTE=conran;154637]
There is no denying that living standards and quality of life has increased dramatically thanks to the creation of the EU, something that probably would not have been otherwise
The only problem is one of bureaucracy becoming ridiculous and overreaching, but then this happens with all governments when the people are less engaged and aren’t paying attention.[/QUOTE]
:::cough:::: The standard of living has certainly not increased in Italy - particularly after the introduction of the Euro. And under the dictats of Germany, Italy is suffering from Swedish style taxation without any level of Swedish style benefits.
That said - I don’t know where to begin with the EU commission. At least from Italy it is where the parties send their political trash to get rid of inconvenient and corrupt politicians, and I suspect it’s the same throughout the EU. To say that it is undemocratic is an understatement; it makes laws that impact sovereign nations with no respect for the individual needs of the member states. It makes rulings on issues that it seems to have no understanding of on a frequent basis. It is utterly unanswerable to it’s individual constituencies. It bends over for American wishes, while ignoring the issues of it’s member states.
Currently, it is making webmasters be the tax collectors for nations the webmaster doesn’t even live in.
The war on Google, and the war on Amazon will result in just about zero impact on Google and Amazon, and will (like the new VAT rulings) only impact small businesses as usual, making the EU a less friendly, less easy-to-access business climate while yet again giving all the competitive advantages to the out of control US. Bah!
Re: Europe Declares War on Google!
Just about sums it up doesn’t it? Hmmm…