Google's $$$Billion Fine. Will anything change?

[Jcmg62]

I saw an article today that covered a story about how Google is purposefully slowing youtube down on browsers that aren't Chrome.

Can't wait for the EU to get hold of that one. Should make for an interesting case. And why is it always up to the EU to tackle anti-competitive behaviour?

But, I digress.

Alphabet are forcing users into a Google box, filled with Google apps & services, that will only play nicely with other Google boxes.

I'm not aware of any other industry on the planet that is as anti-competitive as the Technology Sector.

They seem incapable of serving a market without resorting to every underhanded tactic available to try and totally dominate and crush the competition.

Chill the hell out, technology sector! Your over-inflated ego is not welcome. We just want good tech. Cut the crap and focus on the people that make those big paychecks possible.

Here's the thing: As a consumer, I should be able to use whatever software I want, regardless of my choice of Operating System.

I should be able to use whatever mapping service, email service or social media service I want, regardless of my hardware choices.

And, I'm happily willing to pay for that.

If Alphabet chooses to make Google Maps free on a machine running Android/Chrome but charge iOS or Windows users, fine by me.

If I want to use a Google service on a non-Google platform, I should have to pay for it.

There are so many examples of where this could be applied.

Make Facetime available for free on iOS, but charge for the app on Android and Windows.

Make Mixer free on Windows, but charge Apple and Android users.

Etc, etc, etc...I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to think about this.

But to block that software access entirely is anti-competitive, short-sighted and mean-spirited. "Don't be evil" has never rung so hollow.

Microsoft has embraced the opportunities that exist when you start to make your apps and services available across platforms.

I get that it was born of necessity after Windows Mobile expired, and they had to embrace iOS and Android to stay relevant, but by God, they've done a superb job of it. And, they're making a tonne of money from doing so.

The days of tech companies being allowed to build walled gardens to prevent the fair distribution of software, apps and services need to end.

We're all paying a highly inflated and grossly unfair price for their greed.

 

[TechFreak1]

To be honest, the regulations that can prevent this type of behaviour has to be made through the US legal and Judicial system. The EU does not have over reaching authority to enforce laws in the US, just like the US doesn't have over reaching authority to enforce US laws on EU countries.

If the current political climate in the US has indicated, the house, senate and congress are in direct derelection of their duty to safe guard the people and not their pockets. But given the over whelming amount of big money that flows from the coffers of lobbyists, don't expect any changes soon. Change must come from the ground up from grass root movements.

If these large multibillion dollar corporations paid their share of taxes, you wouldn't end up with a situation where people of flint, michigan didn't have access to clean water. Similiarly, Puerto Rico wouldn't still be devestated months on. This is where Apple hogging of renewable energy companies irks me the most, they have a surplus of billions and could have easily enabled and helped build up the infrastructure.

It's no a brainer, it's insanely good PR and guarantees further brand loyalty but they won't spend a dime because they would rather fill their own pockets. After all how else do you explain being the sole provider and sole client of their own energy company?

By buying their own energy, they show it as an expense and thus they pay less tax. Another trick companies use are "loans" which is levied as an expense not an income. Thus they pay less tax, again another trick is to say they have large administrative costs... by "migrating" data from system to system. Again all this to pay less tax, than there is the obvious one - moving money from entity to subsidary to entity again this is done all in the guise of loan repayments (something Google is known for).

Don't get me started on Amazon, their profits trebled and yet paid less tax. If most people's wages trebled, their income tax would treble as well as it's percentage based not a fixed number.

But the most galling one of all, is to threaten investment when compelled to pay the taxes they owe (Apple has done this several times in the past).

Microsoft is no exception to task avoidance either, they avoided paying 100m in tax by routing money through Ireland which is cheaper at 12.5% compared to the Uk 20% of corporation tax.

But the most daming of all is Facebook, they paid £4,327.00 in tax on an annual profit of £1.9 Billion in 2014.

People should not be given any of these companies a free pass, they must be hypercritical of them and force them into community events, engagement and enrichment for the sake of future generations. That is the only way we will be able hold these large corporations accountable.