5 ms·

This is the dark side of the same impulse that compels big tech companies to follow the GDPR even though they aren't headquartered in Europe: If a big enough ma

by msla 4y ago

This is the dark side of the same impulse that compels big tech companies to follow the GDPR even though they aren't headquartered in Europe: If a big enough market is run by an insane jackass, that insane jackassery will spread through the world on the wings of corporate policy. I really wonder what's going to happen when the India-China rivalry spreads to conflicting laws for tech companies that want to do business in both countries.

shitlord 4y ago
Companies want to profit. They'll either be forced to follow different local laws in different locations, or they'll avoid the situation altogether. Microsoft chose the second approach and now Windows doesn't have flag emojis.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  Companies do want to profit, but a lot of them (eg. Microsoft, Google, Amazon) draw the line somewhere. Many of those companies refuse to do business in China because their demands are too extreme. Other businesses that choose to operate in China are forced to lie to their customers and directly jeopardize their user's data. Look at iOS, which needs constant radical changes to comply with CCP demands. Be it changing the Taiwanese flag, moving domestic iCloud data into mainland China, or stopping protestors from using Aidrop effectively, Apple is is pretty much at their beck and call now. I think the better model is for companies to stand by their morals (even if they're weak) rather than bending to the unique tyrannical demands of each sovereign nation. Microsoft's choice here is honestly the most admirable to me, even though I despise them as a company.
  - dctoedt 4y ago
    > Companies want to profit. Maybe tax the sh*t out of whatever profits they make in oppressive countries? "Go ahead and profit from dealing with Whateverstan, but we'll take most of it away from you."
    - jaldhar 4y ago
      And then refund the taxes when the governments themselves make deals with the same oppressive countries?
kneebonian 4y ago
Based on what I've seen most tech companies are already pulling out of China or scaling back their presence so I don't think it will be a big deal.
- vkou 4y ago
  Most tech companies are still making mountains of money in China, it's just that they are making a lot less than they'd like. The advertising forms sell space to Chinese advertisers, the hardware forms sell their hardware, the software firms... See their software used everywhere, but only sometimes getting paid for it, and are chomping at the bit to turn that around. SAAS vendors are largely getting the short end of the stick, but most of them also make money from one of the fields above. Cultural exports, mostly in the form of films, of course, are also booming. If the US, the EU, China, or India says 'jump', most of them will, after complaining about it, eventually ask 'how high'? That's just the nature of the business. (And is why they also have extensive lobbying operations.)
- lenkite 4y ago
  The Chinese companies are just opening factories (lots of them!) in India. ~4k companies in India with Chinese directors.
iso1631 4y ago
I don't see tech companies changing their practice in say Brazil to meet European laws. If India make it illegal to host a video critical of their PM, and google block that video from access in India that's one thing If Thailand make it illegal to slag of their king and google block users from Thailand watching a video about the king that's a similar thing If Europe make it illegal to track users without their consent and google block users from Europe that's a similar thing If China make it illegal to talk about Winnie the Pooh google block users from China searching, that's a similar thing If America make it illegal to talk about tools to circumvent DVD copyright protection and block users from America searching, that's a similar thing In all cases Google is obeying local law so they can do business in those countries, but that local law applies to local people. Now copyright (not DMCA but Bern style copyright) is, so I could see why google would remove a BBC copyrighted film, although they tend to ignore copyrighted material unless the copyright holder complains.

by msla 4y ago

shitlord 4y ago

Companies want to profit. They'll either be forced to follow different local laws in different locations, or they'll avoid the situation altogether. Microsoft chose the second approach and now Windows doesn't have flag emojis.

smoldesu 4y ago
Companies do want to profit, but a lot of them (eg. Microsoft, Google, Amazon) draw the line somewhere. Many of those companies refuse to do business in China because their demands are too extreme. Other businesses that choose to operate in China are forced to lie to their customers and directly jeopardize their user's data. Look at iOS, which needs constant radical changes to comply with CCP demands. Be it changing the Taiwanese flag, moving domestic iCloud data into mainland China, or stopping protestors from using Aidrop effectively, Apple is is pretty much at their beck and call now. I think the better model is for companies to stand by their morals (even if they're weak) rather than bending to the unique tyrannical demands of each sovereign nation. Microsoft's choice here is honestly the most admirable to me, even though I despise them as a company.
- dctoedt 4y ago
  > Companies want to profit. Maybe tax the sh*t out of whatever profits they make in oppressive countries? "Go ahead and profit from dealing with Whateverstan, but we'll take most of it away from you."
  - jaldhar 4y ago
    And then refund the taxes when the governments themselves make deals with the same oppressive countries?

kneebonian 4y ago

Based on what I've seen most tech companies are already pulling out of China or scaling back their presence so I don't think it will be a big deal.

vkou 4y ago
Most tech companies are still making mountains of money in China, it's just that they are making a lot less than they'd like. The advertising forms sell space to Chinese advertisers, the hardware forms sell their hardware, the software firms... See their software used everywhere, but only sometimes getting paid for it, and are chomping at the bit to turn that around. SAAS vendors are largely getting the short end of the stick, but most of them also make money from one of the fields above. Cultural exports, mostly in the form of films, of course, are also booming. If the US, the EU, China, or India says 'jump', most of them will, after complaining about it, eventually ask 'how high'? That's just the nature of the business. (And is why they also have extensive lobbying operations.)
lenkite 4y ago
The Chinese companies are just opening factories (lots of them!) in India. ~4k companies in India with Chinese directors.

iso1631 4y ago

I don't see tech companies changing their practice in say Brazil to meet European laws. If India make it illegal to host a video critical of their PM, and google block that video from access in India that's one thing If Thailand make it illegal to slag of their king and google block users from Thailand watching a video about the king that's a similar thing If Europe make it illegal to track users without their consent and google block users from Europe that's a similar thing If China make it illegal to talk about Winnie the Pooh google block users from China searching, that's a similar thing If America make it illegal to talk about tools to circumvent DVD copyright protection and block users from America searching, that's a similar thing In all cases Google is obeying local law so they can do business in those countries, but that local law applies to local people. Now copyright (not DMCA but Bern style copyright) is, so I could see why google would remove a BBC copyrighted film, although they tend to ignore copyrighted material unless the copyright holder complains.