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posted by on Tuesday March 21 2017, @01:17AM   Printer-friendly
from the they-can-still-screw-over-the-rest-of-the-world dept.

Fraud, scams, and "unfair" terms and conditions all need to be cleaned up on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, the European Commission has said—warning the US firms that any failure to comply with the order will lead to sanctions.

It comes after the trio of free content ad networks were put on notice in November last year, when Brussels' officials asked the companies to address two areas of concern.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google—all of which are routinely blasted by regulators and lawmakers in Europe—have one month to submit proposals for how they plan to comply with the EU's demands. If their offers come up short against the bloc's regulatory framework, then consumer authorities could threaten to take enforcement action, the commission said.

"Given the growing importance of online social networks it is time to make sure that our strong EU rules, that are there to protect consumers from unfair practices, are complied with in this sector," said Brussels' justice commissioner, Vera Jourová.

"It is not acceptable that EU consumers can only call on a court in California to resolve a dispute. Nor can we accept that users are deprived of their right to withdraw from an online purchase. Social media companies also need to take more responsibility in addressing scams and fraud happening on their platforms."

The commission—citing the Unfair Contract Terms Directive—wants the companies' terms of service to "be brought into conformity with European consumer law."

Source: ArsTechnica


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by anubi on Tuesday March 21 2017, @07:01AM (10 children)

    by anubi (2828) on Tuesday March 21 2017, @07:01AM (#481992) Journal

    Personally, I just don't wanna have to open the fourth box of freedom.

    Its a big pain in the ass and very destructive.

    But it *will* get the job done.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @07:58AM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @07:58AM (#482002)

    But it *will* get the job done.

    Pay attention. The argument here is that it will not. The South will lose again. Beer Hall Putschs are mostly beer. And besides, Angelina Jolie has the fourth box. Pandora? Blue people? Do you know what the hell you are talking about?

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Tuesday March 21 2017, @09:23AM (5 children)

      by anubi (2828) on Tuesday March 21 2017, @09:23AM (#482017) Journal

      I was of the understanding that the fourth box of freedom would likely come into play when the 99%'ers have had it up to here with the 1%'ers... and have to do what the French did in order to reset the system.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @10:37AM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @10:37AM (#482036)

        Except that the French government at that time had no tanks, no drones, no fighter jets, …

        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 21 2017, @11:13AM

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 21 2017, @11:13AM (#482046) Journal

          Yes. And the defence coprorations will accept a baseless coinage in exchange for their drones and arms, while the govt will be busy eradicating their very own source of income.

          Do you think the corporations are that stupid?

          (this letting aside that the army - which operate the drones - is made in it's very large majority from 99-percenters).

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday March 21 2017, @02:21PM (1 child)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 21 2017, @02:21PM (#482143) Journal

          Why do you presume that the Army, Navy (Marines), and Air Force will act as one? Why do you presume that in the event of revolution, all active and veteran members of the armed forces will simply obey the government?

          As for tanks - there were sappers before there were tanks. Satchel charges can, and do, take tanks out. Even better, there are shoulder launched rockets today that will take out most tanks. The Abrams is a tough nut to crack, but it can be opened like any other nut. Drones - we're reading already about how easy it is to hack into a drone. The Iranians have claimed to take one (or more) of our military drones. If they can do it, we can do it. Even if they can't do it, we can do it. Fighter jets. You are still presuming that active duty pilots are willing to climb into the cockpit, and fly off to kill their own countrymen. But, beyond that presumption, fighter jets can be brought down with shoulder fired missiles.

          You can't possibly know how things will fall out in a revolution. No one expected Robert E. Lee to resign his commission in the US Army, and return to his home state of Virginia when the shit hit the fan.

          The next time the shit hits the fan, you better wait awhile before making bets on the outcome.

          • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday March 21 2017, @10:04PM

            by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday March 21 2017, @10:04PM (#482428)

            Conspiracy theorists keep forgetting that those who would have to physically fight the people are not part of the 1%, but typically of the lower classes.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @09:23PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 21 2017, @09:23PM (#482406)

          You are thinking of the Battle of Algiers. The Levee en Masse that put and end to a stupid colonial war.

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 21 2017, @11:23AM (2 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 21 2017, @11:23AM (#482049) Journal

    Personally, I just don't wanna have to open the fourth box of freedom.

    The way I understand, you down-scaled and are still able to live a non-destitute life.
    If so, I reckon you are already doing your bit - refraining as much as possible from contributing to the profit of 1-percenters. If you are able to teach others how to manage to do the same, it would be even better.

    I might be wrong, though, and maybe the fourth box will turn out as necessary.
    But it's not today and... to slide on the manner of magister aristarchus and allude to ancient stories ... "The king might die. The horse might die. I might die. And, who knows? Maybe the horse will sing."

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday March 22 2017, @11:03AM (1 child)

      by anubi (2828) on Wednesday March 22 2017, @11:03AM (#482642) Journal

      You have me pretty well figured out, c0lo... the closest thing I felt was the plight of Engineer Frank Grimes on the TV series "The Simpsons".

      I have talked to many engineers with the same story. "burnout". I still love to do this stuff, but being forced to do it incorrectly just so someone else can make a quick buck was so disgusting to me that I tried every way I knew to isolate myself from the frustration. I have had it with the grape and cucumber experiment. I have had it with being told to do things I know won't end well - while I get ridiculed for hanging onto my ethics and the other gets promoted for their business acumen.

      I stated earlier on these forums about some religious training I had in childhood, one of which was one of my childhood idols: the story of Joseph, and how he rose to second in command in Egypt because he was truthful with the King. Yet, it seemed when I tried to "do the right thing", I would be marginalized, told I was a perfectionist, only to watch someone else do a real quickie-job and cut some corners I knew it would be risky to cut - while the business types would look on and say "the prototype works", while I knew the prototype was marginal, and the next run of IC's may well not work ( marginal stability - they were driving capacitive loads without the correct compensation. ), and on another run, they were using risky methods for connecting to lithium 18650 cells.

      These investor groups and business types they front... geez, just like those trucking forums I frequent, where people are afraid to take their vehicles to the name-brand chain service shops because they can no longer trust them to put the correct fluids in the correct hole.

      Its a cognitive dissonance thing for me. As a kid, I seemed to have this knack of finding technical errors in my science books, and I would bring them up in class. I got a *lot* of brownie points for doing so. Then, at the workplace, I find stuff that should NOT go to production, and I get marginalized.

      You know.... the same kind of disdain we all have for grammar-nazis on these forums.

      I will not grammar-nazi on these forums unless I found the result to be an amusing pun. Typos happen to everyone, and I am just as liable to have my hands get out of sync with my brain as anyone.

      But if I see an error going to be replicated on the production line, especially a dangerous error, I try to stop it, but I do not have the power to stop the business types who want to gamble the peril won't happen. Its gotten so I just have to wince and accept it, knowing full good and well what I see the most likely outcome.

      I see a lot of kindred spirits on this site, also forced to do poorly considered things of very complex nature. Turning perfectly good raw material into junk.

      I simply could no longer take being subordinated to non-technical managers who had taken cookie-cutter leadership classes from those traveling seminar-givers. I could not sign on those lines underprinted with the words "responsible engineer" with a straight face. I was not an engineer; I was an order-taker. A subordinate. My degree seemingly only toilet paper for keeping executive asses clean, to be acquired from the least-cost supplier.

      Yes, I figured I would much rather live much lower on the salary curve than have to put up with the demeaning stuff of having to work under some manager type whose sole interest is in making a quick buck and bonus. If I can not work directly *with* the guy running the place, I have no business there. I simply cannot function with a heavy layer of insulation between me and the man who needs my technical skills.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 22 2017, @12:41PM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 22 2017, @12:41PM (#482676) Journal

        Mate, the age of makers started a while ago.
        Happened outside corporations, even if they try to ride it and corner it with their proprietary sensors and dev boards (even instructables.com is stewarded by Autocad with the hope their cad tools will get exposure). No matter, things like RasPi and Arduino are well established (so well that you can get cheap chinese clones that work), classic IC-es are cheaper than a bread-loaf, everybody and their dog can prototype, etc.

        Help those hobby makers with the basics if you can afford the spare time. Here, an example: switch two mosfets in series the simplest way possible using a 5V input. Can you generalize for X mosfets? (e.g. switch 180V DC using 4 or 5 of 50V Vds(max) mosfets).

        Granted, it may not be as heroic as IC design, but it will be useful for lots of makers. And even more useful because the ones that will stick with making are people who will (perhaps only implicitly) tell the corp wannabe-masters "Fuck off, I don't need you, I can make my own - crude, ugly but it works".
        People who will start thinking on their own and get enough mental exercise and habit to see beyond "belief driven life"; who will likely answer to anyone telling them "Believe me" with "Fuck off, I can think on my own".
        People who may reach a point in which they'll stop chasing a hypnotically induced "american dream", look around and say "You know? Maybe I can feed myself on my own, get my own electricity, insulate my dwelling, etc - cover my basic necessities without spitting blood because some MBA-trained monkey needs to answer to the next shareholder meeting". Sure, they'll buy cheap chinese solar panels and buck-boost converters (and second-hand Ford vans), but it is you that said currently designed gadgets have enough corners cut to not make such a big difference in quality.
        (the irony! It is the corps that showed that "Good enough" may/can work. If the makers learn that "Good enough" is also simple enough[**] they themselves can do it, then this is a lesson the corps may very well regret teaching others)

        Get enough of them and maybe the society will have a chance to get out from the downward spiral.

        I don't know if the above will happen, but I think it worth a try.

        ---

        [**] one can even DIY a scanning tunneling microscope [dberard.com] with materials bought from the hardware store and amazon/ebay.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford