Apple Agrees to Provide Executive to Testify At Upcoming App Store Senate Hearing

[Abazigal]

Not that difficult really. Congress has access to some very smart lawyers. Break up Google and Facebook so they can’t just buy up the competition. Open the iOS AppStore to competitors. Prohibit deals that allow Google to be the default search engine. I’m sure there are plenty of other things. Every one of these things would benefit consumers by increasing choice and competition.

I don’t think that breaking up the advertising giants will accomplish as much as regulators think. The problem is that they have a monopoly on data, which is used to strengthen their underlying services and improve engagement.

Instead, I feel the best way that competition can be intensified is by giving customers more control over their data and by reviewing the collection process.

IE: pretty much what Apple is doing, but notice thus it’s something that a private corporation had to take upon themselves to “solve”, rather than being spearheaded by the government.

I don’t think that even well-meaning senators like Elizabeth Warren know how best to rein in big tech, even as they bang the drum about how these companies need to be regulated.

 

[1258186]

I don’t think that breaking up the advertising giants will accomplish as much as regulators think. The problem is that they have a monopoly on data, which is used to strengthen their underlying services and improve engagement.

Instead, I feel the best way that competition can be intensified is by giving customers more control over their data and by reviewing the collection process.

IE: pretty much what Apple is doing, but notice thus it’s something that a private corporation had to take upon themselves to “solve”, rather than being spearheaded by the government.

I don’t think that even well-meaning senators like Elizabeth Warren know how best to rein in big tech, even as they bang the drum about how these companies need to be regulated.

Apple’s new policy will achieve nothing. Apps will find a way around it or will insist that you accept tracking before using their app or website in the same way I have to accept Cookies before accessing every website.

 

[1258186]

They may not be able to compete on price, but if the product is better, Apple would switch in a heartbeat.

I could see the entire “default search engine” argument if Apple didn’t give the user an option when setting up the phone for the first time. But they do, and as an informed consumer, I’ve always selected duck duck go.

This isn’t “limiting user choice”, the user has a choice of 5 different search engines, both at initial setup and subsequently. Google are paying Apple for a ”check mark” next to their name in the list from opening the box to initial setup only. And given that it’s a competitive tender process in the first instance, the competition decided that it wasn’t worth their money….that’s the free market at work.

Nope. That’s Google using their financial might to cut out the competition. Only government action can stop this.

 

[I7guy]

Nope. That’s Google using their financial might to cut out the competition. Only government action can stop this.

The user is not forced to use google.