Google sends anti-regulation propaganda to small businesses using Google Maps:
Google is quietly enlisting the help of small businesses to help protect the nearly $2 trillion company from antitrust regulations. In response to Congressional bills like the "Ending Platform Monopolies Act," which would ban platform owners from favoring their own services over the competition, Google is telling small business owners that these bills would hurt their ability to find customers online and that they should contact their congressperson about the issue.
We've seen Google do political action before, usually in the form of headline-grabbing blog posts from CEO Sundar Pichai defending the latest product-bundling scheme. The strategy here seems new, though; rather than writing a public blog post, Google is quietly targeting users who have registered business listings on Google Maps. These users report receiving unsolicited emails and an "action item" in the Google Business Profile UI that both link to Google's new anti-antitrust site.
(Score: 3, Informative) by MIRV888 on Wednesday November 10 2021, @03:52PM (4 children)
Google wields more power and influence than Standard Oil ever did.
It's not like they wield global political power as private corporation.
They don't bully nation states to get what they want.
I'll be amazed if Google gets broken up.
(Score: 2, Funny) by khallow on Wednesday November 10 2021, @04:21PM (2 children)
What makes you think that's true? Does Google control a significant energy/transportation sector? /sarc
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 10 2021, @10:10PM (1 child)
It is the Soylentils' burden, to have to constantly be educating the khallow.
His ideological naïveté interferes with his under standing of economics, and how business really works.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday November 11 2021, @12:19AM
And nothing in that post constituted "education". I find it interesting how an internet ad company is supposed to be more powerful than a 40 year monopoly in the oil sector. Who are the naive ones?
(Score: 3, Informative) by RedGreen on Wednesday November 10 2021, @04:22PM
"I'll be amazed if Google gets broken up."
So would I it is amazing what a little money will buy you and how little it actually takes when it comes to the parasite politicians selling out for that cash. Though this new action will be clearly seen as an abuse of their monopoly position and could be a nail in the coffin that finally gets them done for it. I am not hopeful but it seems the mood is changing towards big tech and their abuses it just might get done this time, nah who am I kidding the almighty dollar will prevail as it always does with them scummy bastard politicians. The link below I found on a query seeking how much Microsoft spent to get rid of their problem a pathetic 1.5 million that is how cheap them political whores are.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/01/learning-from-microsofts-mistakes-g/ [opensecrets.org]
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