German official mulls breaking up Google

[LazyLion]

Germany's economy minister says Google may have such a dominant market position that a breakup of the company "must be seriously considered."

Sigmar Gabriel says such a move would be the "ultima ratio," or last resort, in an effort to prevent the Internet giant from systematically crowding out competitors.

Gabriel's comment Friday in an op-ed for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comes a day after 400 companies submitted a competition complaint against U.S-.based Google to the European Commission.

Gabriel said corporate breakups had previously been necessary in the electricity and gas supply industries to prevent a single company from abusing its dominant position.

He says his ministry would look into whether new rules for regulating Internet platforms are necessary before doing anything else.


Source : Sapa-AP /cls
Date : 16 May 2014 13:30

 

[ToxicBunny]

Can't see this working out too well for Germany if they try force this issue.

 

[ISP cash cow]

jees - what is with all the google hate at the moment?

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Wish they can break up Eskom and Telkom here instead...

 

[Nicodeamus]

Wish they can break up Eskom and Telkom here instead...

those are governmental companies, they do not apply to the same rules!

 

[Dave]

jees - what is with all the google hate at the moment?

It seems they are making too many enemies out of other companies if the story in the OP is correct.

Gabriel's comment Friday in an op-ed for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comes a day after 400 companies submitted a competition complaint against U.S-.based Google to the European Commission.

 

[Nicodeamus]

How are you going to force people not to use google as a search engine? Are we going back to MSN, Yahoo or even Aardvark?

 

[JStrike]

How are you going to force people not to use google as a search engine? Are we going back to MSN, Yahoo or even Aardvark?

They want to split it up into smaller companies, much like other monopolies were split up. It fosters competition

 

[Nicodeamus]

They want to split it up into smaller companies, much like other monopolies were split up. It fosters competition

How is it going to be workable? The Standard oil company for example had plants all over America that could effectively compete against each other. Google on the other hand is dependent on the user. I go into my browser and type in google, where ever in the world I am.

 

[JStrike]

How is it going to be workable? The Standard oil company for example had plants all over America that could effectively compete against each other. Google on the other hand is dependent on the user. I go into my browser and type in google, where ever in the world I am.

Most of the concerns around google has been their favouring their own services vs competitors (yelp etc). I suspect these could be broken off quite easily

 

[Dave]

How is it going to be workable? The Standard oil company for example had plants all over America that could effectively compete against each other. Google on the other hand is dependent on the user. I go into my browser and type in google, where ever in the world I am.

Google (the company) is a lot more than just Google (the search engine).

 

[w1z4rd]

jees - what is with all the google hate at the moment?

Probably Microsoft lobbying.

 

[w1z4rd]

Google (the company) is a lot more than just Google (the search engine).

That part where the "drown out the competition" is the search engine.

 

[JStrike]

Probably Microsoft lobbying.

No, Google is just not the company it used to be before it abandoned it's "Don't be evil" mantra

 

[w1z4rd]

No, Google is just not the company it used to be before it abandoned it's "Don't be evil" mantra

You are telling me that Microsoft is spending a fortune on competing products, blatantly dishonest attack ads... but is not lobbying? They must be the dumbest company in the world.

 

[w1z4rd]

You are telling me that Microsoft is spending a fortune on competing products, blatantly dishonest attack ads... but is not lobbying? They must be the dumbest company in the world.

Nope, appears they are lobbying as expected.

Inept Lobbying By Anti-Google Front Group Does More Harm Than Good For Microsoft

Rick Falkvinge, the founder of the Swedish political party the “Pirate Party,” formed six years ago around issues related to intellectual property, blogged about an experience of attending a seminar on privacy at the European Parliament in Brussels. The seminar was put on by Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace, which is funded by Microsoft.

The subject of the seminar was “privacy, big data, profiling, and online identities.” Falkvinge was unaware of the group’s funding and ties to Microsoft. He expressed indignation upon discovering the session was essentially about attacking Google:

The next ten minutes were nothing like I had ever experienced. It was the most shameless bashing of a single company with hints and allegations that I had ever seen. In practically every sentence of the keynote, which was exclusively about how bad Google was as a company, words were snuck into the overall flow that were designed to plant ungrounded ideas in the audience’s mind . . .

It went on and on. This was not a seminar on privacy at all. This was Microsoft-funded Google-smearing, plain and simple, and I felt my blood starting to boil . . .

The Economist covered the session somewhat less emotionally but agrees that it was ineffective in accomplishing its goals:

The latest seminar was a textbook example of how not to lobby . . . [The] aim of the evening seemed to be to give Pamela Jones Harbour, a former commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, a platform from which to attack Google. Ms Harbour, who left America’s consumer-protection agency to become a partner at an American law firm that represents Microsoft, began by telling the gathered activists and digerati that Google’s new privacy policy hurts consumers . . .

Lobbying is what companies do. Google indeed dominates online search. Concerns about its privacy practices are spreading. Microsoft should not have a hard time flagging up its competitor’s faults. Which makes it all the more remarkable that ICOMP does such a lousy job of it—and shows no sign of easing up despite all the resulting bad publicity for its partner.

Microsoft directly and indirectly funds multiple anti-Google lobbying efforts in the US and EU. These individuals and entities regularly put out reports and information critical of Google. Again, this is not new or uncommon.

What got Falkvinge, a former Microsoft employee, so upset apparently was the “bait and switch” quality of the privacy seminar and what he perceived to be the “audacity” of “a convicted monopolist.”

Ironically, Google’s own recent privacy and communications missteps are probably more “effective” for Microsoft’s cause than any aggressive anti-Google lobbying effort such as the one in Brussels.

http://marketingland.com/inept-lobb...p-does-more-harm-than-good-for-microsoft-7260

 

[JStrike]

You are telling me that Microsoft is spending a fortune on competing products, blatantly dishonest attack ads... but is not lobbying? They must be the dumbest company in the world.

Spending a fortune on competing products is a very good thing. Their attack ads are pretty disgusting behaviour as well

 

[w1z4rd]

Spending a fortune on competing products is a very good thing. Their attack ads are pretty disgusting behaviour as well

See above. They are lobbying.

 

[JStrike]

See above. They are lobbying.

Seems you're right. But lobbying in and of itself is not wrong. If what they are saying is not true, then it is bad. If they are pointing out real issues, then it is good