Many consumers simply don't know how to change to anything else

On the contrary, vast numbers of consumers using Windows computers (dominant desktop OS, default search Bing) actively choose to download the Chrome browser (default Google).

As the old joke goes, "people only use Bing to find Google".

Like it or not, Google is genuinely popular with consumers.

They don't care one bit about you, your jobs, your families or the countries that they operate in. They only care about making more and more money

Consumers don't expect anything else from Google (or Amazon, McDonalds, Starbucks etc).

It's business, not personal.

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Yandex (Russian Search Engine) and Baidu ... China.

Why did it take five pages before anyone remembered the existence of national search engines? The EU is not a single entity like the US; it's a collection of independent countries that have agreed to work together in selected areas. Some of those countries have their own preferences. Anyone with a website has been visited not only by Yandex and Baidu, but by Seznam, Exalead, Yeti, Mail.ru, et cetera et cetera. (For present purposes, it doesn't matter whether any one nationally favored SE belongs to a country that is or is not an EU member, or whether or not we let the crawler in. The point is simply that they already exist.)

actively choose to download the Chrome browser

Not entirely true, Chrome gained a lot of their share of the browser market by bundling it with Adobe Flash updates. Almost everyone I know who downloaded Chrome and had it set to the default browser didn't do it on purpose. It happened because they didn't notice the already checked boxes on the Adobe web site's page. I happily deleted Chrome for them at their request after I told them why it showed up on their computer.

It's business, not personal.

Same for the EU vote to break up google :)

It's business, not personal

I remember those words clearly, but it is #*$! personal too!

Ultimately, this EU resolution is a reflection of fundamental differences in culture and attitudes between the US and Europe.

Americans accept the death penalty, turn a blind eye to police violence, turn a blind eye to privacy invasion, turn a blind eye to abusive monopolies.

Europeans are not obligated to act likewise, and evidently they don't.

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Americans accept the death penalty, turn a blind eye to police violence, turn a blind eye to privacy invasion, turn a blind eye to abusive monopolies.

I don't think this is accurate. The main difference, when it comes to Google, is that they are closely connected with politicians in the United States. Being a political insider they are able to lobby for their interests on a personal level. I'm not aware of Google having similar relationships with politicians in the EU.

The main difference, when it comes to Google, is that they are closely connected with politicians in the United States.

I did not see your comment before posting the news ( [webmasterworld.com...] ) that Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman, was appointed to the Democrat National Committee that is reviewing their midterm losses. Your statement is 100% correct. Google does have considerable influence in American politics.

And one of these days he might be chairman of the white house...

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty or Safety.

Benjamin Franklin, 1755

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Ok, so the EU Parliament has made this decision.

What happens next? Is anything actually being done? Is there a call to action that's being undertaken?

Ok, so the EU Parliament has made this decision.

The EU Parliament does not make Decisions, including this case. The EU Parliament has passed a Resolution, containing findings, recommendations and a Request to the EU Commission for further investigation and action. The EU Commission is now mandated by Parliament to investigate and introduce Directives to the Council of Ministers for deliberation, approval and ratification by the individual country Parliaments (28 in total at the last count). The EU Commission may also take Administrative action if it chooses to do so, on the basis of already ratified Directives, to deliberate with the parties concerned, make recommendations, impose measures and/or levy fines. EU Directives are not subject to overrule by Courts. EU Administrative actions are, upon appeal.

These are complex procedures, deliberately designed to safeguard against any single interest group influencing unduly the proceedings and the end result. Time delay is the cost of such safeguards, action is slow, but such action comes eventually as the result of multiple checks an balances.

This is why "interest lobbying" in such issues can hardly have any effect other than that of petition and information, and how out of place are comments made here about "government control of search results" "censorship" and the like. There is no "Government" in the EU equivalent to single country Governments. The EU as a "federation" moves by collective deliberation and consent, where every single of the 28 participating countries has a voice and ultimately the power of veto.


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I hope you're not selling widgets because tomorrow google will be selling widgets

I told you so....

[wsj.com...]

Google an e-commerce giant?

The Wall Street Journal informs readers that after discussing the topic with a few retailers familiar with Google’s plans, the internet giant might soon come out with a “Buy’ button similar to Amazon that will help buyers in making one-click purchases and enable them to check out directly on Google.

do you feel your widget business is safe now? Google is turning into another Amazon