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> Google has not contested the facts and the fine was agreed as part of a settlement procedure, it added. This means the fine was too cheap.

rasz 5y ago
Wouldnt be surprised if Google exec who lead AdX/Doubleclick merger got bigger yearly bonus than this fine.
deusum 5y ago
If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then it only applies to the poor.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then it only applies to the poor. If its a fixed fine that is not adjusted in either direction for ability to pay, or which maxes out at a level which only is meaningful to the poor, sure. If the fine is ““Your net worth minus the lesser of half your actual average annual income from legal sources for the last five years or double the federal poverty level for an individual”, it doesn’t “only apply to the poor”. Of course, most criminal fines do only apply to the poor, but that’s not inherent to fines, but just what fines look like when the law is intended to punish the poor to start with.
  - deusum 5y ago
    Finland is one of the few places I know of that enforces fines that way.[1] Would be great is everyone did. But as the rich are so good at dodging taxes, already, I imagine it wouldn't be as effective as desired. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland-home-of-the-103000-speeding-ticket/387484/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland...
x0x0 5y ago
Not necessarily. Often the meat of these agreements is the agreed behavior changes, not the fine. (It's very annoying that the articles often focus on the fines, rather than the rest of the agreement.) Setting the fines at a level that doesn't cause endless appeals gets the behavior changes sooner, and may be more net efficient.
- NetOpWibby 5y ago
  Or, it lets Google know what they can get away with and for how long before they have to pay another similar fine. Would it be far-fetched for fines to be part of an annual/quarterly budget?

rasz 5y ago

Wouldnt be surprised if Google exec who lead AdX/Doubleclick merger got bigger yearly bonus than this fine.

deusum 5y ago

If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then it only applies to the poor.

dragonwriter 5y ago
> If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then it only applies to the poor. If its a fixed fine that is not adjusted in either direction for ability to pay, or which maxes out at a level which only is meaningful to the poor, sure. If the fine is ““Your net worth minus the lesser of half your actual average annual income from legal sources for the last five years or double the federal poverty level for an individual”, it doesn’t “only apply to the poor”. Of course, most criminal fines do only apply to the poor, but that’s not inherent to fines, but just what fines look like when the law is intended to punish the poor to start with.
- deusum 5y ago
  Finland is one of the few places I know of that enforces fines that way.[1] Would be great is everyone did. But as the rich are so good at dodging taxes, already, I imagine it wouldn't be as effective as desired. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland-home-of-the-103000-speeding-ticket/387484/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland...

x0x0 5y ago

Not necessarily. Often the meat of these agreements is the agreed behavior changes, not the fine. (It's very annoying that the articles often focus on the fines, rather than the rest of the agreement.) Setting the fines at a level that doesn't cause endless appeals gets the behavior changes sooner, and may be more net efficient.

NetOpWibby 5y ago
Or, it lets Google know what they can get away with and for how long before they have to pay another similar fine. Would it be far-fetched for fines to be part of an annual/quarterly budget?