4 ms·

Why meta is not fully banned in the EU is beyond me :) I know banning or forcing meta to obey laws in the US is impossible due to bribes (political contributio

by jmclnx 12d ago

Why meta is not fully banned in the EU is beyond me :) I know banning or forcing meta to obey laws in the US is impossible due to bribes (political contributions), but in the EU I would think meta could at the very least be reined in.

ActionHank 12d ago
We just need to start pirate streams of football games and it will be gone within the week.
fooqux 12d ago
I'm not saying it's not bad in the USA (because it is) but if you think there's no corruption or bribing in EU politics then I don't know what to say.
- 1attice 12d ago
  Although both continents are presently losing themselves to fascism, quantity still has a quality all its own.
  - ericmay 12d ago
    You're on the right track but instead of losing themselves to fascism what you should more accurately be pointing out, in my opinion, is that in general societies are becoming a lot more open to authoritarian ideologies, whether that's communism, fascism, or similar.
mminer237 12d ago
This actually is a result of Meta being forced to obey EU law. Not sure why the article didn't explain things at all, but Regulation (EU) 2024/900 greatly restricts political advertising with typical vagueness, so Meta is enforcing a broad ban to ensure they comply.
- tygon 12d ago
  Information like this should be front-and-center. Call it malicious compliance if one wishes, but if there is one thing that is clear, Meta does not do anything (besides try and make money) without being forced to. A blanket ban on anything political does indeed mean a ban on all sides of an issue, even ones many would agree is positive.
  - dgellow 12d ago
    The comment you’re responding to and that you want front and center is plainly wrong. The regulation is about transparency and restricting targeted advertising technics for political advertising. That has nothing to do with the situation at hand, it is meta doing something on their own. And your point about Meta being forced to act is also wrong, companies aren’t just passive institutions that only react to regulations, they constantly take decisions and actions, and regularly manufacture that type of situation as a way to lobby regulators
- tantalor 12d ago
  > Not sure why the article didn't explain things at all The answer is right in front of your eyes: theguardian.com
- watwut 12d ago
  No, showing ads for feminism or social issues related plays is not illegal in Europe. Nor fined. And it is practically practiced all around the Europe. This strategy of "we will lie about what the law enforces, so that we can blame the regulator instead of the company" is getting old.
- darkwater 12d ago
  > so Meta is enforcing a broad ban to ensure they comply. No. Meta enforces a broad ban because they don't want EU to regulate them, so they drag their feet and create the most possible "unwanted collateral damage" so people will get upset at the regulation instead of the company. So, pieces like this from The Guardian are surely needed.
mhitza 12d ago
Why do you think so many big tech companies are registering subsidiaries in Ireland? (Aside form the "Double Irish" mechanism that used to be in vogue more than a decade ago). Plenty of hands seem to be well greased over there given how long it takes to issue fines for clear&cut violations of EU regulation.
thesmtsolver2 12d ago
So, Meta should be banned because it followed EU law to ban some things? Wow, Europeans do have a penchant for recursively banning things :)
- watwut 12d ago
  Neither feminism nor social issues are banned in European advertissements.
  - deleted 12d ago
    [deleted]
- troupo 12d ago
  No. Supranational corporations will find any and all ways to be maliciously compliant and blame the EU.
deleted 12d ago
[deleted]
tt24 12d ago
> Why meta is not fully banned in the EU is beyond me :) It’s pretty simple - the EU is unable to produce alternatives. This is because they don’t have the software talent for it. Any talent they do have immediately runs for the SF Bay Area of the United States at the first opportunity. You want good alternatives to Meta’s products? Pay engineers a competitive salary. And no, the lower cost of living doesn’t even remotely begin to make up for the difference in comp. Same with healthcare - it’s effectively free in the United States for people who have jobs, especially so for SWEs.
- boudin 12d ago
  Why would you want alternative to meta's product ?

by jmclnx 12d ago

ActionHank 12d ago

We just need to start pirate streams of football games and it will be gone within the week.

fooqux 12d ago

I'm not saying it's not bad in the USA (because it is) but if you think there's no corruption or bribing in EU politics then I don't know what to say.

1attice 12d ago
Although both continents are presently losing themselves to fascism, quantity still has a quality all its own.
- ericmay 12d ago
  You're on the right track but instead of losing themselves to fascism what you should more accurately be pointing out, in my opinion, is that in general societies are becoming a lot more open to authoritarian ideologies, whether that's communism, fascism, or similar.

mminer237 12d ago

This actually is a result of Meta being forced to obey EU law. Not sure why the article didn't explain things at all, but Regulation (EU) 2024/900 greatly restricts political advertising with typical vagueness, so Meta is enforcing a broad ban to ensure they comply.

tygon 12d ago
Information like this should be front-and-center. Call it malicious compliance if one wishes, but if there is one thing that is clear, Meta does not do anything (besides try and make money) without being forced to. A blanket ban on anything political does indeed mean a ban on all sides of an issue, even ones many would agree is positive.
- dgellow 12d ago
  The comment you’re responding to and that you want front and center is plainly wrong. The regulation is about transparency and restricting targeted advertising technics for political advertising. That has nothing to do with the situation at hand, it is meta doing something on their own. And your point about Meta being forced to act is also wrong, companies aren’t just passive institutions that only react to regulations, they constantly take decisions and actions, and regularly manufacture that type of situation as a way to lobby regulators
tantalor 12d ago
> Not sure why the article didn't explain things at all The answer is right in front of your eyes: theguardian.com
watwut 12d ago
No, showing ads for feminism or social issues related plays is not illegal in Europe. Nor fined. And it is practically practiced all around the Europe. This strategy of "we will lie about what the law enforces, so that we can blame the regulator instead of the company" is getting old.
darkwater 12d ago
> so Meta is enforcing a broad ban to ensure they comply. No. Meta enforces a broad ban because they don't want EU to regulate them, so they drag their feet and create the most possible "unwanted collateral damage" so people will get upset at the regulation instead of the company. So, pieces like this from The Guardian are surely needed.

mhitza 12d ago

Why do you think so many big tech companies are registering subsidiaries in Ireland? (Aside form the "Double Irish" mechanism that used to be in vogue more than a decade ago). Plenty of hands seem to be well greased over there given how long it takes to issue fines for clear&cut violations of EU regulation.

thesmtsolver2 12d ago

So, Meta should be banned because it followed EU law to ban some things? Wow, Europeans do have a penchant for recursively banning things :)

watwut 12d ago
Neither feminism nor social issues are banned in European advertissements.
- deleted 12d ago
  [deleted]
troupo 12d ago
No. Supranational corporations will find any and all ways to be maliciously compliant and blame the EU.

deleted 12d ago

[deleted]

tt24 12d ago

> Why meta is not fully banned in the EU is beyond me :) It’s pretty simple - the EU is unable to produce alternatives. This is because they don’t have the software talent for it. Any talent they do have immediately runs for the SF Bay Area of the United States at the first opportunity. You want good alternatives to Meta’s products? Pay engineers a competitive salary. And no, the lower cost of living doesn’t even remotely begin to make up for the difference in comp. Same with healthcare - it’s effectively free in the United States for people who have jobs, especially so for SWEs.

boudin 12d ago
Why would you want alternative to meta's product ?