European Union last week voted to request members states and the European Commission to investigate the use of search engines within Europe to make sure that there is “a balanced, fair and open internet search structure”.
While the resolution’s official text does not mention Google specifically. But the message was specifically targeting the company which claims 93% of the European market. The resolution called for Google to request the EC to ruminate proposals meant at unbundling search engines.
The purpose of the EU in all this was to achieve what is believed to be a “level playing field” that permits the competition of other search providers. The EU is also concerned since Google’s rivals have expressed their concerns that Google uses search to make it appear that it is driving traffic to its own products and not competitors. expert in the energy industry
Recommendations
The recommendations go deeper and argue the issue of how search must function in order that indexation, evaluation, presentation, and ranking by search engines must be unbiased and transparent.
It is essential that the EU could decide the way Google’s search algorithm would operate and what kinds of outcomes should be returned for any search. This is clearly outside the scope of the EU and not feasible to achieve without significantly restricting Google when it comes to it.
It seems like the European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager will remain unaffected in the vote that is not binding. The spokesperson for her stated that the way she applies rules will happen as an outcome of the Commission’s investigation and will not be affected by political considerations. It’s certainly not clear that she would support cutting Google into two parts, since it’s both difficult to accomplish and, ultimately not likely to achieve the goals that the EU wanted to achieve.
The EU’s vision for an electronic market that is unified
The search engine issue was just one aspect of the EU Parliament’s plans. To create creating a European open and accessible single market for digital goods. The overall efficiencies they believe the market could bring to Europe. However, it is true that the EU faces significant hurdles in the event that it believes it can achieve. Union of Oil and Gas
The Parliament acknowledges that in Europe it is the app economy only is probable to triple its income from 2013 to 2018, creating 3 million jobs in the same period. Who controls that “app economy”? Google through Android as well as Apple.
It also debates the necessity for fostering the mass approval of cloud computing in Europe, as it constitutes a powerful driver for the growth of the European economy. In addition, again, who is the leading cloud computing company? Amazon.
Anywhere Europe is at in the event that it decides to establish a digital market it must achieve this with the assistance of major technological players and all of them happen to be American.
The past is remembered. The EU vs Microsoft
If the EU isn’t ready to embrace its future as it is, it ought to at the very least recall its past. The last time the EU try to regulate what is recognizable as a monopoly within the field of technology. Was its lengthy battle against Microsoft. In that instance, the EU concentrated the entire impact of the PC revolution on Microsoft’s media player.
The EU has ruled that Microsoft should offer versions that were compatible with Windows. Which “unbundled” the Windows Media Player and provided users with an option to choose their preferred browser. The end result was going to be just a drop in the ocean. The impact it had on Microsoft and consumers and the digital economy overall. Additionally, the attention of these platforms was quickly removed from the market by the advent of mobile phones. And Microsoft’s monopoly was rendered mostly irrelevant as mobile was the predominant platform.
Technology, Politics, and Law
The case against Microsoft has shown that the technological landscape isn’t shaped by politics as well as the legal system. There is an inadequacy of what the real landscape is and, secondly, no one knows. What technology can be best directed to achieve fairness and maximum benefits for all? In addition, technology is changing far too fast that committees are unable to keep pace with it.
The EU’s inability to grasp the concept of the modern economy. Apparent in the language they employ in their suggestions regarding the single digital market. The concept of the single digital market could be a marketing tactic designed to hide the actual purpose of trying to safeguard. And expand European digital enterprises against US dominance.
Take care of the little things and give the rest to others.
The truth is that there are some real issues to address in the digital economy. These include intellectual property, privacy, and in some cases, the flagrant abuse of market power. The EU could be better off focusing on what they can do to help develop European businesses. That can be competitive with the leaders of today. Education and funding research and development, and other research activities. Are the best foundations to begin this process, and not attempt to artificially disadvantage the competition.
