Comment by asien
5 years ago
Aside from abusive dominent position there is no law they would break.
When you download and use chrome you ACCEPT the Terms and Conditions of Google.
There is no law that prevents a web browser from blocking access to a website or modifying the page . If the TOS stipulate « pages may differ from the original or be subject to third party software » , they are in within their rights and the customer accepted it when he started using the product.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m on OP sides and everything , but we have let big tech become too big by giving us free stuff for decades.
Now they they decide what’s good for us or not with side effects that often damage small business.
But I insist that in 99% , they operate within the law.
I'm not a US citizen, but just 5 min of scanning US laws makes me think that there are basis for a lawsuit.
Essential facilities doctrine seems to be appropriate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_facilities_doctrine
Google has already been condemned by UE for this type of issue for 150M. That's literally nothing , at least not enough to hit their wallet.
This type of battle take months if not years in court and cost millions of dollars.
Google products can be shipped and removed in a few weeks , far beyond the reach of operation of the current judiciary system.
Today the problem is GHS , tomorrow it'll be "GSuite Safe Account" or "Youtube Safe Video" etc...
There is no point in taking Google to court just for a "one time" condemnation, it's a systematic issue that is tied to Google itself.
EU is working on addressing these issues. They specifically want to label companies like Google as "gatekeepers" in The Digital Markets Act.
From: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/gatekeepers-face-...
> In case of violations, the new law would provide for fines of up to 10% of a gatekeeper's total global turnover. Lasseur said: "The fines are high, but they correspond to the usual sanction regime for violations of European competition law."
> In the event of a repeated offence, following a detailed market investigation by the Commission, the company could even be broken if the Commission finds that there is no effective alternative to ensure that the gatekeeper obligations are complied with.
The fines will no longer be just a cost of doing business, but an existential threat. It may take 10 or 15 years in courts but EU will break down likes of Google for repeated offenses even if the relevant products will no longer exist.
You ignored the issue of libel, though. Do you have a reason it's not?