3 ms·

It's too bad Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook won't ever stand firm together and tell the EU regulators to get bent and go home.

bilbo0s 8y ago
There's, I'm guessing, somewhere between 5 and 600 million consumers, er, I mean, people- in Europe. I think that's a large part of the reason they don't stand up to the EU.
- DannyBee 8y ago
  I hope not for the EU's sake :) That really isn't that huge anymore, and it's definitely not growing that fast. I don't think you want to make a consumer argument because consumers buy expensive stuff everywhere. There are also larger and more growing consumer markets. The better argument would IMHO probably be "They need to sell business products and to businesses there, and the EU businesses are spending more than elsewhere". IE it's a concentration of business wealth. That is also likely to change over time.
SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
I know, right? Someone has to stand up for the right of these corporations to collect and sell everyone's personal data to the highest bidder.
adimitrov 8y ago
It's good, though, that the European countries stood together and told Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook to get bent and go home! As an EU citizen, my response to "we're sorry not sorry but due to recent EU laws, we can't continue to offer you this service" is: get bent, go home. I hope we, as the software development community can finally understand and appreciate that the insane proliferation of personal data modern tech has become dependent upon is a Bad Thing.
- kenjackson 8y ago
  The problem though is also the complexity. If I want to actually make my product better by knowing if my product crashes in the wild, then it is far more complex to do now in the EU. And in particular the potential risk is huge. For many companies who aren't at the scale of a Google or Microsoft, the best solution is to simply not be available in EU -- at least until you reach such a scale that growth into the EU is required.
  - mdekkers 8y ago
    If I want to actually make my product better by knowing if my product crashes in the wild There are many ways to achieve that goal. I am not buying the argument that automatic data collection about everything you do is there to "improve our software".
JustSomeNobody 8y ago
Interesting that you think mere tech companies are more powerful than a government union.
- thrower123 8y ago
  I don't think that we are that far away from that being a reality. Particularly one as shaky and with teeth as small as the EU possesses. The kind of cash that Silicon Valley corps can throw around could be a serious shot in the arm for Eurosceptic political parties hoping to weaken or separate from the union.
  - gpvos 8y ago
    The EU has more power than individual European countries at least. This is basically the most important reason we still need the EU.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
- beagle3 8y ago
  There’s precedent; Microsoft outlived the US government in the antitrust case.
- DannyBee 8y ago
  Well, in practice, the tech companies don't actually need the EU. It depends on the area/tech company of course. But, for example, the number of consumers they represent is only about half a billion. That isn't that many. For example, Latin America has 20% more consumers. Most could totally could afford to ignore the EU if they wanted to and still have a perfectly good business. (This assumes their goal is not all out growth but instead are happy with sustained profit at some point)

bilbo0s 8y ago

There's, I'm guessing, somewhere between 5 and 600 million consumers, er, I mean, people- in Europe. I think that's a large part of the reason they don't stand up to the EU.

DannyBee 8y ago
I hope not for the EU's sake :) That really isn't that huge anymore, and it's definitely not growing that fast. I don't think you want to make a consumer argument because consumers buy expensive stuff everywhere. There are also larger and more growing consumer markets. The better argument would IMHO probably be "They need to sell business products and to businesses there, and the EU businesses are spending more than elsewhere". IE it's a concentration of business wealth. That is also likely to change over time.

SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago

I know, right? Someone has to stand up for the right of these corporations to collect and sell everyone's personal data to the highest bidder.

adimitrov 8y ago

It's good, though, that the European countries stood together and told Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook to get bent and go home! As an EU citizen, my response to "we're sorry not sorry but due to recent EU laws, we can't continue to offer you this service" is: get bent, go home. I hope we, as the software development community can finally understand and appreciate that the insane proliferation of personal data modern tech has become dependent upon is a Bad Thing.

kenjackson 8y ago
The problem though is also the complexity. If I want to actually make my product better by knowing if my product crashes in the wild, then it is far more complex to do now in the EU. And in particular the potential risk is huge. For many companies who aren't at the scale of a Google or Microsoft, the best solution is to simply not be available in EU -- at least until you reach such a scale that growth into the EU is required.
- mdekkers 8y ago
  If I want to actually make my product better by knowing if my product crashes in the wild There are many ways to achieve that goal. I am not buying the argument that automatic data collection about everything you do is there to "improve our software".

JustSomeNobody 8y ago

Interesting that you think mere tech companies are more powerful than a government union.

thrower123 8y ago
I don't think that we are that far away from that being a reality. Particularly one as shaky and with teeth as small as the EU possesses. The kind of cash that Silicon Valley corps can throw around could be a serious shot in the arm for Eurosceptic political parties hoping to weaken or separate from the union.
- gpvos 8y ago
  The EU has more power than individual European countries at least. This is basically the most important reason we still need the EU.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
beagle3 8y ago
There’s precedent; Microsoft outlived the US government in the antitrust case.
DannyBee 8y ago
Well, in practice, the tech companies don't actually need the EU. It depends on the area/tech company of course. But, for example, the number of consumers they represent is only about half a billion. That isn't that many. For example, Latin America has 20% more consumers. Most could totally could afford to ignore the EU if they wanted to and still have a perfectly good business. (This assumes their goal is not all out growth but instead are happy with sustained profit at some point)