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EU Asks iMessage Users and Rivals If Service Should Be Regulated
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Unfortunately it is the opposite. You’re right they want that SMS gouging money back. But they aren’t going to get it because no one is going to pay the network cartels to send text messages anymore. So they have no financial motivation to ever replace SMS with anything. They ran a year long “trial” of RCS and when they couldn’t figure out how to monetize it they gave up. Now everyone seems to think RCS is a Google standard because they are the only ones that picked up the ball and ran with it.
Now nobody cares about RCS except Google because Google is the only one that never succeeded with its own messaging attempts.
Google didn’t create RCS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Communication_Services#History
They appropriated it.
They already did: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_23_4328
Google also didn’t create Android or YouTube, still those have not exactly become the most privacy oriented programs on the planet
One week to obtain the data?
That is not proper research.
“Surveys sent” is a mere line item to be checked off on some EU lawyer’s list
The EU neither cares, nor wants, input from the users.
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I suspect part of that is using a broad definition might hoover up some European companies into gatekeeper roles.
I suspect the same thing that they'd like to regain control over messaging or financial reasons such as tracking and charging for texts. "You can get rid of your green bubble for 10 Euros/month extra..."
Which one? The standard or Google's extension using the Signal protocol? Are you OK with Google being an intermediary? Or carriers now controlling the messaging traffic?
I suspect you underestimate the reasons people buy iPhones and overestimate the importance of bubble colors.
In addition, an open protocol would not necessarily eliminate different color bulb - Apple could tag and color any message sent via the iMessage App blue and all other green to warn users that a message comes from a non Apple E2E encrypted source.
EU is simply mad the EU tech sector sucks and they want an EU iMessage or EU Whatsapp to be a "monopolist".
Why is the EU not targetting ASML? It's because it's an EU company.
Why is the EU not targetting ASML? It's because it's an EU company.
Bring it on. I say this as a constant iMessage user here in the US. I would love to be able to keep using Messages when I travel overseas, for example, where it seems like the standard is WhatsApp. And here in the US, I would love to be able to have RCS or whatever plug into iMessage as well, so I don't have to send/receive horrible low-resolution pictures and videos over SMS. I honestly don't care about any of the behind the scenes politics here -- I just want one app that does all my messaging well, no matter what platform the other person is using.
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Notice how Bing, of all things, is getting lumped into this. Meanwhile, the US is digging into Google’s abuse of its search monopoly. Things like this just further convince me that the EU‘s tech policy is Euro-protectionism (then again, so much of the single market is protectionism for this or that special interest, which has been a real thorn in the side when it comes to US-EU trade negotiations, especially for agricultural trade).
OR, if the EU has to lower the number to allow iMessages to become a gatekeeper.
People uses it. I use it, perhaps more would use it if it was more convenient
(ironically Apple might want to be more interoperable) and now Apple if they want have the legal option to provide interoperability without using Google RCS as the legal requirement is the security standard is maintained.
If iMessage isn’t made a gatekeeper service il still be happy to delete all by other accounts and messaging apps such as Viber, WhatsApp, telegram, signal, Facebook Messenger and just use one to rule them all that I actually trust in.
It’s not illegal to have proprietary features. It only states basic interoperability
Where a gatekeeper provides NI-ICS(Number-Independent Interpersonal Communications Services) it shall
- make the basic functionalities of its NI-ICS with the NI-ICS of another provider offering or intending to offer such services in the Union.
- providing the necessary technical interfaces or similar solutions that facilitate interoperability
- Upon request
- Free of charge
RCS isn’t qualified as it isn’t number-independent NI-ICS.
And read the text above
This is exactly what the EU commission wants. The services compete on merit annd functions instead of user base. If you think iMessage is the best solution you should be able to use that. Instead of getting locked in a random app because that’s where your friends, family or coworkers happen to use.
SMS just as RCS isn’t qualified as it’s not number independent.
1: number-independent interpersonal communications services
2:Read above legal requirements.
Apple called an extra investigation because they say they don’t qualify. Hence why EU is complying and investigating their request. Only people who thinks a monopoly is illegal calls it that as a gotcha.
Nether. A Monopoly is completely legal to operate.
WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger is already targeted and must allow interoperability if for example signal asks them to.
And that’s the point.
Also, with the possible proposal for a Google related messenger interconnection, they are actually not thwarting some monopolies, they are actually further strengthening one of the largest monopolies on the interweb, as almost everything is already running on something that is involved with Google and their interests. If this trend continues, there might soon be nothing but Google left, with some niches covered by Amazon
Exactly I use whatsapp to communicate with people from my iPhone, even when they have an iPhone themselves.
if people are ”locked in” with iMessage then something seriously wrong with the individual that thinks they are locked in.
what is stopping them from using other well known messaging system. A person they wish to message with will only use iMessage is the only reason can think of and that is more the individual WON’T rather then CAN NOT use something else.
Ultimately, I generally don’t trust the EU regulatory system any more than I trust the US’s. The very idea of regulation is logically dubious if you give it any real thought.
Regulation incentivizes regulatory capture. You can’t have one without the other. Giving businesses an existential threat gives them a huge incentive to be at the table driving those regulations. And when they realize they can use those regulations to punish competitors, all bets are off.
Politically, I favor decentralization, and the EU’s pro-centralization bent gives me strong pause for concern. Ultimately, the state is a monopoly on force. Non-compliance eventually leads to the state using violence against you, regardless of how moral the state’s case is. In a market, you have competition which applies pressure not to violate agreements and not to commit wanton acts of violence. With governments, there’s a territorial monopoly, and you have to upend your life to get away from an abusive regime. Furthermore, the worse abuses in the market typically are carried out under state sanction or state mandate, or because compliance with state directives requires the behavior or the state’s regulatory apparatus strongly incentivizes the behavior (the housing bubble and subprime mortgage crisis in the US in 2008). I do have to marvel how people bend over backwards to support the state and condemn corporations, despite the fact that the state is the one that controls the weapons of war and the fact that the state itself has a corporate form.
Regulation incentivizes regulatory capture. You can’t have one without the other. Giving businesses an existential threat gives them a huge incentive to be at the table driving those regulations. And when they realize they can use those regulations to punish competitors, all bets are off.
Politically, I favor decentralization, and the EU’s pro-centralization bent gives me strong pause for concern. Ultimately, the state is a monopoly on force. Non-compliance eventually leads to the state using violence against you, regardless of how moral the state’s case is. In a market, you have competition which applies pressure not to violate agreements and not to commit wanton acts of violence. With governments, there’s a territorial monopoly, and you have to upend your life to get away from an abusive regime. Furthermore, the worse abuses in the market typically are carried out under state sanction or state mandate, or because compliance with state directives requires the behavior or the state’s regulatory apparatus strongly incentivizes the behavior (the housing bubble and subprime mortgage crisis in the US in 2008). I do have to marvel how people bend over backwards to support the state and condemn corporations, despite the fact that the state is the one that controls the weapons of war and the fact that the state itself has a corporate form.
iMessage isn't popular in Europe, from everyone says. To me, it seems like EU is trying to force the service open to competitors. To me, that is an abuse of power.
Basically, don't build anything that "you" aka your business/company/IP control to the extent that it prevents anyone else from being able to access it just like you're able to.
And while you're at it. Make sure no one else can hack you.
Cheers.
