Google in 2024: Net profit: $100 billion
The government: “here is a tiny fine that you can’t even see in a microscope.”
That’s a rounding error for them.
That’s 1/85 of the watch that Ramzan Kadyrov’s son sported on his wedding.
Or one can just compare it to the share of Google’s profits in California.
Alt text: a screenshot from final fantasy tactics with a character saying: “If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the lower class.”
That’s actually shopped. The game’s writer said he wishes he wrote that line, though.
Years ago, when this policy was first being contemplated, someone at google plugged a number, likely larger than this, into a spreadsheet analyzing the cost/benefit of spying on their customers.
This is just post-activation operating expense from their perspective.
Google made 100 billion last year.
300 million is barely a blip.
The fine should have been 30 billion.
if the fines arent big enough to seriously hurt a company, Then the fines are not big enough to change their behavior.
They just become a tax on evil.
They should definitely be higher than what they are, even the GDPR fines are a joke, its likely added to a line “legal expenses” in their expenses.
While it looks like the EU fines are ramping up over time, it still just feels silly right now. But I guess that is intentional.
Base it not off the entire company, base it off the value of doing this. They didnt make 100 billion off unapproved android user data collection.
This argument is common and while fines should be higher, the idea that they dont matter unless they are 10% of earnings is ridiculous.
Because all the “slap on the wrist” fines have worked so well to modify corporate rapism… /s
Yeah I’d agree that there is a lack of enforcement in some aspects but moreso a lack of regulation and legislation in others.
There needs to be a better commitment to addressing trends in capitalism than reacting to their overstepping.
These fines worked in 1957.
They don’t work today.
Its not an overreach to increase fines to a relative point commiserate with current earnings, so that they can actually harm a company and by doing so discourage future illicit behavior.
To try and claim otherwise is some corpo rat bullshit.
These fines come on the heels of willful behavior, that they believe they can make money off of even accounting for the fines… Which turns the fine into nothing more than a tax. With higher fines, that can destroy their profits and damage their company, they won’t be so eager to pencil evil into the expense line.
I’m 70 years old and that still hasn’t happened. Bring back the guillotine, I say. Anything less is just the price of a permit.
Don’t we ban Chinese phones for the same actions?
China bad.
I think the original commenter means that Google got off with a tap on the wrist
So of the billions they made with that they have to pay a small fee.
Oh noes
Jail them!
A fine is the cost of doing business. Unless something changes they’ll keep doing it.
It’s just the government’s cut since they don’t pay much in taxes.
laughs in GrapheneOS
cries in cheap phone that doesn’t flash GrapheneOS
Break the law and pay 0.014% of your market cap, or 0.31% of their 2024 profit.
The linked Reuters article provides a bit more context:
The jury agreed with the plaintiffs that Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), was liable for sending and receiving information from the devices without permission while they were idle, causing what the lawsuit had called “mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google’s benefit.”
[…]
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement that the company would appeal, and that the verdict “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”
So when are we all finally going to ditch Google/Apple and move on to actual FOSS phones like Librem5 or Fairphone?
When they are good.
Another problem I have is multifactor apps. Can I get duo on a Linux phone? Or banking apps? Some software sends notifications to the phone to log in on a computer, for example.
I’m sure I could get around it, but ultimately I just want a good camera.
Yeah, I need to know that Microsoft authenticator, duo mobile, all banking and trading apps, Venmo, and steam guard work on Linux. I know a lot of banking apps do, but if duo mobile doesn’t, I’m locked out of my work.
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Which one allows me to actually control my phone and reject all the updates?
Fairphone is FOSS??
They submitted kernel patches for (at least some) support of the FP6 the day it released. The preinstalled OS isn’t FOSS though a good few FOSS OSs/distros support their older phones (and presumably the FP6 eventually).
So the answer is… sort of? Personally I just think they’re just FOSS-friendly
Oh noes
They’re shivering in their boots
