3 ms·

I wonder how many billions in fines the EU can take out of US companies before they start to get political blowback.

gitaarik 3y ago
Isn't this coming out from the politics of the EU? Isn't politics suppose to act on the desires of citizens? (In principle in Democracy). Would there be a lot of citizens that would want huge companies to easily gain a monopoly position? Is that what you want?
- bengale 3y ago
  I’m quite sure I didn’t give an opinion either way. I’m also not that interested in how things “should” be. I was just musing that at a certain point there might be political blow back in the US towards a continent that doesn’t have a lot of leverage.
  - gitaarik 3y ago
    If Europe doesn't have much leverage, which content will? And still, why would citizens vote for politicians that would make monopolies easier? Of course there's corruption. But how would that work against the laws of another continet?
    - bengale 3y ago
      You're asking me why the real world works like it does. Citizens vote from a handful of candidates that have competing priorities. One of those priorities is going to be supporting the huge companies that support them, even if it's for non-selfish reasons like their own economy. If we put aside how we wish things were or how they should be, the point I was musing on is that large companies can influence politicians in the US. The EU depends on the US in many ways, with energy and physical security probably being top of that list right now. With those things being true, there must be a point where politicians in the US, seeing the damage being done to some of the biggest companies in their own economy by a group dependent on them, start to apply pressure to back them off. If these politicians wanted their companies regulated like this they would do it themselves presumably.
      - gitaarik 3y ago
        Aha clear, fair enough. That is what I was wondering, thanks for explaining.
xvector 3y ago
Really just want to see the US tech industry leave this rent-seeking region and throw them 40 years into the past. Let the EU develop their own messaging services, mobile OSes, browsers, computing devices, and internet backbones. It'll make both sides happier.

Isn't this coming out from the politics of the EU? Isn't politics suppose to act on the desires of citizens? (In principle in Democracy). Would there be a lot of citizens that would want huge companies to easily gain a monopoly position? Is that what you want?

bengale 3y ago
I’m quite sure I didn’t give an opinion either way. I’m also not that interested in how things “should” be. I was just musing that at a certain point there might be political blow back in the US towards a continent that doesn’t have a lot of leverage.
- gitaarik 3y ago
  If Europe doesn't have much leverage, which content will? And still, why would citizens vote for politicians that would make monopolies easier? Of course there's corruption. But how would that work against the laws of another continet?
  - bengale 3y ago
    You're asking me why the real world works like it does. Citizens vote from a handful of candidates that have competing priorities. One of those priorities is going to be supporting the huge companies that support them, even if it's for non-selfish reasons like their own economy. If we put aside how we wish things were or how they should be, the point I was musing on is that large companies can influence politicians in the US. The EU depends on the US in many ways, with energy and physical security probably being top of that list right now. With those things being true, there must be a point where politicians in the US, seeing the damage being done to some of the biggest companies in their own economy by a group dependent on them, start to apply pressure to back them off. If these politicians wanted their companies regulated like this they would do it themselves presumably.
    - gitaarik 3y ago
      Aha clear, fair enough. That is what I was wondering, thanks for explaining.

xvector 3y ago

Really just want to see the US tech industry leave this rent-seeking region and throw them 40 years into the past. Let the EU develop their own messaging services, mobile OSes, browsers, computing devices, and internet backbones. It'll make both sides happier.