[olliebrkr]

It surprises me how many people here are against this decision, and expressing sentiment that this is bad for the EU tech scene.

Meta has been fined because they employed tactics to undermine competition and persistently employ anti-competitive tactics.

Why is it wrong for the EU to force companies to obey it's laws and act in the best interest of it's inhabitants?

The companies being targeted are some of the biggest companies in the world and are accountable to almost no-one. Because they're a monopoly they're somehow exempt from the rulebook? C'mon.

If anything this helps competitor businesses because it shows that the tech giants are not except for the law, and the EU will fight for competition. Something the US sorely lacks in many industries.

[diogofranco]

Do you live in the EU? From where I stand I mostly got cookie banners, can't get to Google maps or flights from Google search, get AI launches 6 months after the rest of the world if at all etc.. Not yet feeling all the consumer benefits

[ktosobcy]

I do live in the EU.

1) cookie banners are because tech giants are giants c-nts that will do anything to drive their point (and they are breaking the law because "reject" is usually hidden); though the UE should push to have it as a browser setting and voila - not nagging

2) there was a push for Google, as a monopolist, to offer option to use different map services but becase it's typical for the bully to abuse it's possition they removed the setting. And it seems to work as it causes the frustration in the end users.

It's kinda sad that people are still drinking google cool-aid

[xvector]

This is a ridiculous take. Of course Google should be allowed to link to Google Maps from their homepage and search. I have never seen this level of adoration for ridiculous overregulation.

This is the reason the EU has stagnated and will continue to stagnate indefinitely. There is simply no culture of getting shit done, it's all about hand wringing.

[ktosobcy]

And then google should be allowed to link everything to itself until it collapse...

Has muricans not learned from AT&T merger and split? Why there is soooo muuuuch idolation of (broken unregulated) pseudo-free market?

[xvector]

Americans have learned a lot more from having a flourishing tech industry than the EU has, which has stagnated for 20+ years and has missed out on the mobile revolution and will miss the AI revolution.

Our model works to create actual progress. Your model results in nothing but a rent-seeking regulatory industrial complex. The EU can only miss so many industrial revolutions before it fades into total irrelevancy over time. There is a reason your share of global GDP is declining rapidly vs the US.

[sofixa]

Your pictures weren't used to train AI models.

Facebook can no longer create shadow profiles for people who aren't on it and thus can't consent.

You can ask any company to tell you all they know about you, and delete it (with some small regulatory exceptions).

You don't have 50 different chargers in your home.

And a million other things.

[bko]

> Your pictures weren't used to train AI models.

This is almost certainly untrue. But if it gives you a piece of mind, so be it.

> Facebook can no longer create shadow profiles for people who aren't on it.

What impact does Facebook not having a ledger with my name on it have on my life? You still have ads and tracking in Europe, except now with cookie banners.

> You can ask any company to tell you all they know about you, and delete it (with some small regulatory exceptions).

Have you ever done this?

> You don't have 50 different chargers in your home.

I don't need anyone telling me what types of devices to buy. I prefer competition and can make up my own mind about chargers. Role of the state is not de-cluttering my home.

I'd prefer Google Maps and free 2 day shipping to these. Not to mention $300k+ developer salaries compared to 55k a year. But I guess you don't have to check your emails after 5, so there's that.

[sofixa]

> This is almost certainly untrue. But if it gives you a piece of mind, so be it.

If it is untrue, they'll get slapped in the face with another multi-billion dollar fine, and have to remove the offending models.

> Have you ever done this?

Yes, I do this regularly for backups, and have asked for sketchy orgs I've had to use to delete my data.

> I don't need anyone telling me what types of devices to buy. I prefer competition and can make up my own mind about chargers. Role of the state is not de-cluttering my home.

Do you also prefer competition and to make up your own mind about unsanitary food? Unsafe cars? Unsafe airliners and airlines? Where would you draw the line of what is acceptable role of the state?

> I'd prefer Google Maps and free 2 day shipping to these

Google Maps is still there. I have free 1 day, and sometimes same day shipping with Amazon in France, so idk what you're referring to.

[bko]

> Do you also prefer competition and to make up your own mind about unsanitary food? Unsafe cars? Unsafe airliners and airlines? Where would you draw the line of what is acceptable role of the state?

Cables. I draw the line at cables. I think its a reasonable line to draw.

[sofixa]

Which part of cables? Having standards to ensure cables don't melt and catch fire is a good thing too. Having a common set of port standards to ensure they're reliable, reusable, etc. is also good.

[ktosobcy]

Funny enough I have free next day shipping (or even same day if order in the morning) and I'm in the UE. Magic!

[mdhb]

Then why don’t you exercise your personal preferences by moving to the US?

[crazygringo]

You realize Europeans can't just "move to the US"?

Like you have to get a work visa or green card which can be extremely difficult.

There are a ton of Europeans who would love to move to the US and can't.

Are you trying to suggest Europeans shouldn't complain about the EU? Because that seems... backwards.

[piva00]

> Are you trying to suggest Europeans shouldn't complain about the EU? Because that seems... backwards.

I don't think anyone said that, EU citizens complain about the EU all the time. But complaining that the EU should be molded on the shape of the US is... Backwards.

[ktosobcy]

> Like you have to get a work visa or green card which can be extremely difficult.

Darn... so the US is not the land of the free? Gosh! Wait till you learn about all the other stuff you can't do there xD

[aurareturn]

  Meta has been fined because they employed tactics to undermine competition and persistently employ anti-competitive tactics.

What exactly did they do? The article is light on details. I think if you list them, maybe people will see your side more.

I personally think there is a difference between what DMA laws says and what people think is fair.

[mliker]

> Meta has been fined because they employed tactics to undermine competition and persistently employ anti-competitive tactics.

If you could list out the "employed tactics" that "undermine competition", that would be helpful in understanding your case. Marketplace ads seems like a natural extension of the Meta ad product, so it's not clear how this is anti-competitive. Any other marketplace can also run ads on Meta as well if they wanted.

[ktosobcy]

Well... it's because HN community is only driven by VC money and disruptors and have absolutely no morals - just to abuse whatever the heck is possible to abuse so any notion of trying to regulate the "wild wild west" is to them like a total abuse... it's cute and amusing :)

[xvector]

Overregulation ≠ morals

[ktosobcy]

lack of regulation ≠ morals :shrug:

[bko]

The 'anti-competitive' practices make the product better. It keeps you in their ecosystem that is more trust worthy than third parties. For instance, I avoid the third party crap on Amazon that's not managed by them because they're usually awful, weird pricing almost like they're hoping someone accidentally buys it and shipping takes long.

Is it 'anti-competitive' that Amazon pushes their stuff? I don't really care, its just a better product for Amazon. If I wanted the third party crap, I'd go to eBay.

So a lot of these regulations that are supposed to promote competition actually make the product worse.