Ok, I know I live in EU as well as most here, but...
Ignoring the attacks on freedom of speech in real life and on internet (Like 7 new articles out of their ass which got preapproved by JURI before even being voted, only rejected because civilians were on streets in several countries and its getting voted AGAIN this autumn), and the attacks on the free countries of europe who wont obey unilaterally enforced non democratic decisions, like related to leaders ruling a country ( like Basescu in Romania who got impeached but EU said no, keep him... but allowed replacement of Spain's president just because he promised ETA, other terrorists political group in euskadi, catalonians, etc, and EU itself that he will lick their asses) or borders policy, or a country's own laws not related with market,
EU is constantly attacking the world technology companies by inventing bulls**t laws (like forcing webs to force people to accept that cookies exist, surprise! and are used, or like the antitrust and antimonopoly laws), bs taxes or tax raising (raising 3% because they dont pay enough for politicians), and bs stories to fine companies around the world literally billions, taking in account there are few hundred companies "fined" by an institution which actually doesnt rule over anything at all.
First they started with small fines in millions, until last year they fined (or tried?) Google with 5% (like 3.000 million) of its value because one guy, of a couple, made a prescholar informatics class made looking website (I checked that web, it literally had under 10 buttons! No background images, just one color!) that searches prices to compare, using google's own search engine, and complained they didnt rank higher than million visits price comparation webs, even though he appeared on local news !(much wow, local news, definitely more important than a ranking system based on visits and usage) Blaming google for not being placed on top of successful sites, funny.
Ok. Now...
Or just google it... if you dont like accepting pointless popups and info windows enforced by more "EU laws" from past. Aware, cookies exist, accept or go elsewhere.
But main part would be, quote:
" face an anti-competitive choice: Set Google Search as the default search service and offer Google’s Chrome browser, or lose access to Android’s popular app store. "
But well, other funny things in there...
"Alternatively, the E.U. could force the company to give consumers an easier way to switch services, like search engines, on their phones or tablets."
It's already the simplest way ? Can't do that on iPhones, and windows phones is well, its own case.
Quote"But Vestager contended that it prevents consumers from purchasing “innovative smart mobile devices based on alternative, potentially superior, versions of the Android operating system, etc"
QuoteSaw this in a comment but yeah: "... and delivered by unicorn." lol
What such innovative potentially superior versions of operating systems ?
Now they want to fine, not google or android, but Alphabet, with 10 % of the entire freaking history of income of the main company instead of the "guilty" company google, of over 11 Billion dollars, because anonymous stuff complained they are FORCED to use google search to be able to use google play store. What the actual fk ?
1. First, thats obvious bulls**t its lies, taking as example any game from GOOGLE Play store, like Planet Commander (which I did not play):
details?id=com.cubesoftware.spaceconflictgame
Can you click it here ? And on any other browser thats not Google Chrome, right ? On phone its same, you get option to select "open with internet" (whatever app you have on your phone) and "Open with google play", wheres the restriction ?? If you cant open it on your damn iPhone thats because iPhone with Apple store is the one that monopolizes everything, not google.
2. Second, what IS Google Play Stores name ? Exactly, GOOGLE's store. They made android's popular app store, they own it, cant be forced to give it away or anything, it's their intellectual property. So what if they make deals with phonemakers to preinstall them? Phonemakers WANT their apps because they are best for themselves. Why arent they fining apple store or iStore instead ? Its visible above and same since ever ( as sometimes it annoyed me it asked if I want to use google or old phone browsers) that there's no such thing as restrictions to google apps, try googling apple store ! What do you get ?
Sign in - Apple or try googling apple store if link expired or whatever.
Yeah, insert your apple ID here to enter apple store. How about that, I cant even watch apps in apple store without owning something from them. Cant open it on PC or anything.
What does it say in link even, "secure".store.apple and "account" and "login or gtfo", what does it say on google's store, play.google.com/store, end of, no secure no login no bs.
So trustable, not monopolizing at all. Can't even use international USB cables or sound jacks for earphones on their phones, they cant even repair their own devices even if paid!
In the end...
My main problem with this is that taking away money as well as INCOME (through expensive changes in laws and filtering and etc) from technological companies, as to microsoft before, google, and hundred others, and creating taxes out of their asses, they are literally slowing down the technological advancement of humankind. No/less money to invest in testing your favourite new PC CPUs, android devices, graphic cards, means less advancement in them. EU seems to want to cause the fall of europe, as visible/proven that its already falling on several charts, and even trying to pull down rest of human kind with it. What is left to ruin ?
On phone, its same as on PC, I'm not forced to use Google Chrome or google search engine instead of bing or whatever, I do it because its best, for me at least.
Where does even this money go ? To some corrupt politician's pockets? What will be the usefulness in that? Dont even dream any of it will go to pensions or anything good.
I am a bit curious what is OP's opinion on this ilegally high fine (as it says on few places that fines on the income of the root company instead of the "guilty" one is actually illegal and never done before). And how can this money stealing bs affect technology advancement ? Just, ignoring the other topics of things going wrong in EU... opinions and all. Just curious about the fines part and stupid new laws.
Late edit: I don't even understand how can something made out of a trading/economy union can override laws in countries (like whatever deals a country makes with a company) and fine to bankrupcy companies that are not inside EU... its like saying china wants to fine european cars for being too good or so.
PS2: Its also funny how just the fines on google this year are more than Trump's wall twice over, as it was estimated to cost 7 billion or so, and fines are 14billion.