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> Google and Apple would gain huge potential leverage over nations worldwide You do understand that Apple/Google are not in charge of the world. They operate w

> Google and Apple would gain huge potential leverage over nations worldwide You do understand that Apple/Google are not in charge of the world. They operate within each country based on the laws that each government puts in place. It would be trivial for any country to force this functionality to be on/off and dictate which apps it can be used with.

jka 7y ago
For nations with the technical & legal staff and time required to review, address and negotiate updated legal terms with Google and Apple, that may be true. Since you sound familiar with the situation, can you provide a link/reference to evidence of a country trivially changing the behaviour of an operating-system level feature like GACT after it has been deployed?
- chefkoch 7y ago
  There was a special Windows version for the EU.
  - jka 7y ago
    Thank you. Are you referring to the "Microsoft Corp. v Commission of the European Communities" case[1]? (lodged in 2004, resolved in 2007 - and led to the release of a version of Windows without Windows Media Player installed-by-default) [1] - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:62004TJ0201 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:62...
- threeseed 7y ago
  Governments don't need to negotiate with Apple/Google they just pass a law. Example being Russia which told phone makers to either pre-install their apps or stop selling their products. Or EU pretty much telling the entire software industry how high to jump with GDPR.
- comex 7y ago
  This comes to mind: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20903613/apple-hiding-taiwan-flag-emoji-hong-kong-macau-china https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20903613/apple-hiding-tai...
koenigdavidmj 7y ago
For nations like the US, this is true. For somewhere like Australia? If it became truly necessary, that’s a small enough market to write off if necessary.

jka 7y ago

For nations with the technical & legal staff and time required to review, address and negotiate updated legal terms with Google and Apple, that may be true. Since you sound familiar with the situation, can you provide a link/reference to evidence of a country trivially changing the behaviour of an operating-system level feature like GACT after it has been deployed?

chefkoch 7y ago
There was a special Windows version for the EU.
- jka 7y ago
  Thank you. Are you referring to the "Microsoft Corp. v Commission of the European Communities" case[1]? (lodged in 2004, resolved in 2007 - and led to the release of a version of Windows without Windows Media Player installed-by-default) [1] - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:62004TJ0201 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:62...
threeseed 7y ago
Governments don't need to negotiate with Apple/Google they just pass a law. Example being Russia which told phone makers to either pre-install their apps or stop selling their products. Or EU pretty much telling the entire software industry how high to jump with GDPR.
comex 7y ago
This comes to mind: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20903613/apple-hiding-taiwan-flag-emoji-hong-kong-macau-china https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20903613/apple-hiding-tai...

koenigdavidmj 7y ago

For nations like the US, this is true. For somewhere like Australia? If it became truly necessary, that’s a small enough market to write off if necessary.