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I started reading that and... it really doesn't say anything. Even after introducing "Some specifics:" it's just generic FUD hemming and hawing. Basically it sa

I started reading that and... it really doesn't say anything. Even after introducing "Some specifics:" it's just generic FUD hemming and hawing. Basically it says Google doesn't like some legislation (without getting into any details about why) and I guess we should be concerned because Google says they will have to take their balls home. The big problem here is Google has a long history of handing out balls to the public and taking them away whenever Google got tired of those balls. So what if Google gets rid of Gmail or Maps or Search or whatever. Shouldn't everyone expect Google to get rid of any of their free services at any time anyway? I'm really very curious what exactly this legislation is proposing that makes Google so hysterical? Maybe that they must provide support and appeals processes when their machines grind up users?

judge2020 5y ago
For 'hurt small businesses', two links deep is this article[0], and the only accusations it actually makes are: > Like the House’s bill, the Senate’s bill would force companies like Amazon to separate their marketplace from their own retail offerings. This sounds “good” in theory, but the end of hybrid services would inevitably mean the decline of the SMBs who use and succeed on these platforms. and > The Senate’s legislation would also make it impossible for Amazon to offer its Prime free shipping service on millions of products, many of which are from small and medium-sized businesses. Consumers will likely turn to big retailers, none of whom are targeted by the bill and most do not provide the same seamless and robust access to massive consumer markets or promote small businesses nearly as well. Despite these, I can't find the bill text in these articles. (also, I hope the marketplace breakup would also affect walmart.com - they made a 3p seller marketplace that has caused confusion in customers who now think Walmart is selling GPUs at scalper prices[1] when they're actually just taking a % of those scalpers' revenue) 0: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/10/26/small-businesses-would-be-collateral-damage-in-the-senates-new-antitrust-bill/ https://www.ocregister.com/2021/10/26/small-businesses-would... 1: https://www.walmart.com/ip/MSI-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3080-Ti-Graphic-Card-12-GB-GDDR6X/937910242 https://www.walmart.com/ip/MSI-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3080-Ti-Gr...
- ocdtrekkie 5y ago
  Yeah, so many stores have added the third party marketplace functionality and it's always sketchy. Like when you end up having to work with some random business that exists out of someones house to fix an issue with computers you bought on Newegg. It's usually at best a single line noting that you're buying from someone other than the site you're on.
jeffbee 5y ago
It seems pretty specific to me. If Congress writes a law that says Google can't integrate hours of operation into Google Maps, they have to defer to Yelp, that harms consumers and only helps Yelp. Viewed through that lens, you can and should think of these bills as Yelp welfare. If you are a big fan of Yelp I guess that's OK for you, but most of us can see that it's a scam.
- coliveira 5y ago
  But yelp is not the only company that can compile hours of operation. However, if Google is able to integrate all that into the same product, there will be no yelp or yelp competitor to talk about.
  - avirut 5y ago
    But as a consumer it's very nice to have hours of operation, directions, phone numbers, and reviews all in one place that's linked to my search engine. I can see how, if Google's top priority is turning a profit, Google having a product so data-rich and unified that it leaves no room for competitors is bad for consumers in the long term. On the other hand, the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service.
    - passivate 5y ago
      >the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service. Why is that desirable? Its not to me. The most desirable outcome is open data exchange standards that allow data exchange so that ANYONE can build such a service. Google locks-up publicly available data and they subsidize/price dump to offer services at no-cost so other players die out leaving them to manipulate the market as they see fit. Its the worst possible outcome for everyone involved.
  - jeffbee 5y ago
csdvrx 5y ago
> I guess we should be concerned because Google says they will have to take their balls home As they haven't do that in the EU and Australia, everyone knows they're bluffing.
m463 5y ago
Speaking of "free" google services - I found it interesting that the free covid home testing kits signup links by the USPS have google advertising links. https://special.usps.com/testkits
- KoftaBob 5y ago
  Where do you see Google advertising links? The only Google service I see is Tag Manager, which is used for measuring website analytics.

judge2020 5y ago

For 'hurt small businesses', two links deep is this article[0], and the only accusations it actually makes are: > Like the House’s bill, the Senate’s bill would force companies like Amazon to separate their marketplace from their own retail offerings. This sounds “good” in theory, but the end of hybrid services would inevitably mean the decline of the SMBs who use and succeed on these platforms. and > The Senate’s legislation would also make it impossible for Amazon to offer its Prime free shipping service on millions of products, many of which are from small and medium-sized businesses. Consumers will likely turn to big retailers, none of whom are targeted by the bill and most do not provide the same seamless and robust access to massive consumer markets or promote small businesses nearly as well. Despite these, I can't find the bill text in these articles. (also, I hope the marketplace breakup would also affect walmart.com - they made a 3p seller marketplace that has caused confusion in customers who now think Walmart is selling GPUs at scalper prices[1] when they're actually just taking a % of those scalpers' revenue) 0: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/10/26/small-businesses-would-be-collateral-damage-in-the-senates-new-antitrust-bill/ https://www.ocregister.com/2021/10/26/small-businesses-would... 1: https://www.walmart.com/ip/MSI-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3080-Ti-Graphic-Card-12-GB-GDDR6X/937910242 https://www.walmart.com/ip/MSI-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3080-Ti-Gr...

ocdtrekkie 5y ago
Yeah, so many stores have added the third party marketplace functionality and it's always sketchy. Like when you end up having to work with some random business that exists out of someones house to fix an issue with computers you bought on Newegg. It's usually at best a single line noting that you're buying from someone other than the site you're on.

jeffbee 5y ago

It seems pretty specific to me. If Congress writes a law that says Google can't integrate hours of operation into Google Maps, they have to defer to Yelp, that harms consumers and only helps Yelp. Viewed through that lens, you can and should think of these bills as Yelp welfare. If you are a big fan of Yelp I guess that's OK for you, but most of us can see that it's a scam.

coliveira 5y ago
But yelp is not the only company that can compile hours of operation. However, if Google is able to integrate all that into the same product, there will be no yelp or yelp competitor to talk about.
- avirut 5y ago
  But as a consumer it's very nice to have hours of operation, directions, phone numbers, and reviews all in one place that's linked to my search engine. I can see how, if Google's top priority is turning a profit, Google having a product so data-rich and unified that it leaves no room for competitors is bad for consumers in the long term. On the other hand, the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service.
  - passivate 5y ago
    >the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service. Why is that desirable? Its not to me. The most desirable outcome is open data exchange standards that allow data exchange so that ANYONE can build such a service. Google locks-up publicly available data and they subsidize/price dump to offer services at no-cost so other players die out leaving them to manipulate the market as they see fit. Its the worst possible outcome for everyone involved.
- jeffbee 5y ago

csdvrx 5y ago

> I guess we should be concerned because Google says they will have to take their balls home As they haven't do that in the EU and Australia, everyone knows they're bluffing.

m463 5y ago

Speaking of "free" google services - I found it interesting that the free covid home testing kits signup links by the USPS have google advertising links. https://special.usps.com/testkits

KoftaBob 5y ago
Where do you see Google advertising links? The only Google service I see is Tag Manager, which is used for measuring website analytics.