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So Germany bans WhatsApp from collecting data on its users(whether you agree with this or not, at least WhatsApp provides a service with some utility). Yet, no

So Germany bans WhatsApp from collecting data on its users(whether you agree with this or not, at least WhatsApp provides a service with some utility). Yet, not less than a week later, demands that WiFi operators collect data on its users for the RIAA/MPAA. Don't let the name copyright owners fool you into thinking that this is about actual content creators. The case that in question is Sony vs. Some German Open WiFi operator. Bravo EU! Middle men with sophisticated lobbying experience can get access to user data, but actual content and platform creators can't. It's clear to me that the EU doesn't truly care about user privacy. They just have an irrational bug up their ass when it comes to American tech companies.

comboy 10y ago
> It's clear to me that the EU doesn't truly care about user privacy. They just have an irrational bug up their ass when it comes to American tech companies. I don't think it cares about anything. It's just a huge bureaucracy machine. So huge, that even if all participating agents would be rational (which we are so far away from), just a simple communication lag between people (all organizations in different countries, governments and subdivisions) would make it hard to reach any rational consensus.
- zigzigzag 10y ago
  It definitely cares about the propagation of the EU and its associated gravy train. I learned yesterday that the EU has a wine cellar with more than 40,000 bottles of wine in it. Why?!
  - mattmanser 10y ago
    What a silly thing to be outraged about, why wouldn't it? It's got to entertain 10,000s of visitors per year, 40,000 sounds a reasonable number. Here's a list of the UK parliament's wine cellar, which has thousands of bottles of wine: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-and-eir/commons-foi-disclosures/catering-services-retail/content-of-house-of-commons-wine-cellar/ https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-and-eir/c... Are you similarly outraged that the UK own 1128 bottles of coke?
    - zigzigzag 10y ago
      By that logic almost every organisation should have a private wine cellar. Normally when entertaining you buy wine from suppliers on demand, not build up an enormous stash yourself. But it's not the fact that they have drinks on site that surprised me. It's the vast quantity. The entire stock of all drinks including non-alcoholic drinks you point to is worth only about £30,000 vs the EU which has over 40,000 bottles of wine alone. I'd guess the value of the EU drinks cabinet is thus at least 10x great, probably more like 50x-100x greater. It's reflective of a wider problem with incredibly profligate spending on luxuries for EU staff at a time when most European governments are trying to cut their spending to manageable levels.
      - NetStrikeForce 10y ago
        Seriously mate, drop it, you're not looking good in this discussion. You're already leaving the EU, stop whining.
      - Normal_gaussian 10y ago
        It is cheaper to operate your own stockpile than to purchase on demand.
icebraining 10y ago
Most EU countries have free & open wifi hotspots. This is not an EU thing, it's a German thing. All the EU court said is that it's not illegal for Germany to have that law. It's also not true that Whatsapp was banned from collecting data on its users, only that it can't share that data (most of which collected before the sale) with Facebook without explicit agreement.
NetStrikeForce 10y ago
As pointed out by other fellow HNers, you're wrong, but that didn't stop you from pushing your own agenda while complaining about the EU having an agenda against American companies. Trust me, the EU is not against American companies. They're just beside the EU citizens.
thomasz 10y ago
Sigh. No. They don't demand that WiFI operators collect data on it's users for the RIAA/MPAA. It's right there in the first paragraph: The ruling says that after being informed of copyright infringement, you can be ordered to restrict access to registered users, if you want to avoid being held liable.
TeMPOraL 10y ago
> They just have an irrational bug up their ass when it comes to American tech companies. No, they don't. The difference between WhatsApp and RIAA/MPAA is that US is willing to project its political might over the latter, which creates a bit of a problem for opposing them. EU is trying, but it has to be done in a careful way in order to not piss USGOV too much.

comboy 10y ago

> It's clear to me that the EU doesn't truly care about user privacy. They just have an irrational bug up their ass when it comes to American tech companies. I don't think it cares about anything. It's just a huge bureaucracy machine. So huge, that even if all participating agents would be rational (which we are so far away from), just a simple communication lag between people (all organizations in different countries, governments and subdivisions) would make it hard to reach any rational consensus.

zigzigzag 10y ago
It definitely cares about the propagation of the EU and its associated gravy train. I learned yesterday that the EU has a wine cellar with more than 40,000 bottles of wine in it. Why?!
- mattmanser 10y ago
  What a silly thing to be outraged about, why wouldn't it? It's got to entertain 10,000s of visitors per year, 40,000 sounds a reasonable number. Here's a list of the UK parliament's wine cellar, which has thousands of bottles of wine: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-and-eir/commons-foi-disclosures/catering-services-retail/content-of-house-of-commons-wine-cellar/ https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-and-eir/c... Are you similarly outraged that the UK own 1128 bottles of coke?
  - zigzigzag 10y ago
    By that logic almost every organisation should have a private wine cellar. Normally when entertaining you buy wine from suppliers on demand, not build up an enormous stash yourself. But it's not the fact that they have drinks on site that surprised me. It's the vast quantity. The entire stock of all drinks including non-alcoholic drinks you point to is worth only about £30,000 vs the EU which has over 40,000 bottles of wine alone. I'd guess the value of the EU drinks cabinet is thus at least 10x great, probably more like 50x-100x greater. It's reflective of a wider problem with incredibly profligate spending on luxuries for EU staff at a time when most European governments are trying to cut their spending to manageable levels.
    - NetStrikeForce 10y ago
      Seriously mate, drop it, you're not looking good in this discussion. You're already leaving the EU, stop whining.
    - Normal_gaussian 10y ago
      It is cheaper to operate your own stockpile than to purchase on demand.

icebraining 10y ago

Most EU countries have free & open wifi hotspots. This is not an EU thing, it's a German thing. All the EU court said is that it's not illegal for Germany to have that law. It's also not true that Whatsapp was banned from collecting data on its users, only that it can't share that data (most of which collected before the sale) with Facebook without explicit agreement.

NetStrikeForce 10y ago

As pointed out by other fellow HNers, you're wrong, but that didn't stop you from pushing your own agenda while complaining about the EU having an agenda against American companies. Trust me, the EU is not against American companies. They're just beside the EU citizens.

thomasz 10y ago

Sigh. No. They don't demand that WiFI operators collect data on it's users for the RIAA/MPAA. It's right there in the first paragraph: The ruling says that after being informed of copyright infringement, you can be ordered to restrict access to registered users, if you want to avoid being held liable.

TeMPOraL 10y ago

> They just have an irrational bug up their ass when it comes to American tech companies. No, they don't. The difference between WhatsApp and RIAA/MPAA is that US is willing to project its political might over the latter, which creates a bit of a problem for opposing them. EU is trying, but it has to be done in a careful way in order to not piss USGOV too much.