Why 2020 Will Be Challenging for Google and Europe
February 21, 2020
A straightforward Reuters news story appeared on Valentine’s Day. Title? “Google Protests Eye-Catching $2.6 Billion EU Fine, Judge Disagrees.” (This is a trustworthy story because Thomson Reuters provides a link to its trust principles.)
The trustworthy story includes a few interesting factettes about the online ad giant’s defensive posture; for example:
- The deterrent multipler and another multiplier factor was excessive and unwarranted.
- Google’s behavior was not anti competitive.
- Google’s lawyer pointed to the company’s “good faith attempts” to remediate itself.
Interesting position for Google. Different legal eagles continue to sing from the decades-old Google hymnal.
One statement, however, cuts through the “gee, we’re trying” and “you are unfair to the Google.” This is the quote attributed to EU lawyer Anthony Dawes:
Google’s conduct constituted a well established form of abuse.
It does not appear that Google’s assurances that it has kicked its habit of being Googley yet. The phrase “well established form of abuse” suggests that a fine may not do the trick.
Maybe the EU should consider a tough love approach:
But what if public criticism, fines, and tough love do not work? What recourse does the EU have? DarkCyber has a hunch that the EU regulators probably use Google on a daily basis to locate information as part of their effort to bring Google into line with the EU’s expectations and rules.
Maybe, just maybe, this is the challenge:
Hence, 2020 will be a push-pull affair. Queue “The Imperial March.”
Stephen E Arnold, February 21, 2020
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