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In my experience many/most Americans dislike Google (because they don't trust huge companies that have lots of personal data - this is sane.). However, those s

In my experience many/most Americans dislike Google (because they don't trust huge companies that have lots of personal data - this is sane.). However, those same Americans will often become really hostile towards the EU if there is any claim of monopoly abuse from a European company. So far I do think the EU has been fair to Google. A parallel can be found in the EU browser monopoly case. Opera spearheadead that case. The criticism here was massive. Then Mozilla joined - suddenly it wasn't primarily a EU vs US thing, but more of a company vs company thing, and the attitude changed quite a bit. (I just enjoy pointing out hypocrisy.)

dmoy 10y ago
Do you have any data on the majority disliking Google thing? Most people I talk to are completely unaware of internet privacy concerns, let alone using that to form opinion of dislike about companies (of those that do, it's usually the anti government crowd). But both your and my anecdotes are just that...
- johansch 10y ago
  No, it's just anecdotal from my experience online. I do feel that I have felt a very heavy nationalistic response from americans in the past, e.g. during the time of that browser ballot, for example. This always struck a nerve with me.. that americans would find it more probable that the nasty foreign europeans would try to get more money out of the americans, than the to more obvious fact that these companies were committing obvious anti-competition crimes.
gozur88 10y ago
>However, those same Americans will often become really hostile towards the EU if there is any claim of monopoly abuse from a European company. If Americans really thought Google is guilty of some kind of "monopoly abuse", Google would be having antitrust problems at home. To most Americans this looks like a shakedown that wouldn't be happening if Google were a European firm.
- Pica_soO 10y ago
  Remember the fumes affair that Ford had? Economic wars via the law are fun.

dmoy 10y ago

Do you have any data on the majority disliking Google thing? Most people I talk to are completely unaware of internet privacy concerns, let alone using that to form opinion of dislike about companies (of those that do, it's usually the anti government crowd). But both your and my anecdotes are just that...

johansch 10y ago
No, it's just anecdotal from my experience online. I do feel that I have felt a very heavy nationalistic response from americans in the past, e.g. during the time of that browser ballot, for example. This always struck a nerve with me.. that americans would find it more probable that the nasty foreign europeans would try to get more money out of the americans, than the to more obvious fact that these companies were committing obvious anti-competition crimes.

gozur88 10y ago

>However, those same Americans will often become really hostile towards the EU if there is any claim of monopoly abuse from a European company. If Americans really thought Google is guilty of some kind of "monopoly abuse", Google would be having antitrust problems at home. To most Americans this looks like a shakedown that wouldn't be happening if Google were a European firm.

Pica_soO 10y ago
Remember the fumes affair that Ford had? Economic wars via the law are fun.