More follow-up on the iPhone, then how discriminatory job ads on Facebook demonstrate how to police bad behavior on platforms with zero marginal costs. Plus, follow-up on The European Union Versus the Internet.
The European Commission Versus Android
Examining the history of Android explains why the European Commission may be right to fine Google for its actions around Android, even as the reasoning feels off.
Facebook Filter Foibles, The EU Copyright Directive, Yelp and the Three Approaches to Internet Content
Facebook provides a useful example of how automated filtering goes wrong, even as the E.U. mandates exactly that. A recent court case about Yelp shows that the U.S. has the best approach to content law.
Apple, China, and Trump; Google Invests in JD; The Value of the China Market
More on Apple’s challenges in the Chinese market, both in the past and going forward, and then why e-commerce companies are beating everyone else, both in China and the U.S. Then, why the China market is so attractive.
The Bill Gates Line
Understanding the differences between aggregators and platforms matters for companies interacting with them and also regulators considering antitrust.
Open, Closed, and Privacy
Just as encryption is only viable on closed systems, so it is that increased privacy regulations will only entrench walled gardens. That should affect thinking on regulation.
Technologists, Politics, and Facebook; Publishers and the GDPR; Facebook and The Denver Post
Publishers are in ever more trouble, thanks to the GDPR. It increasingly seems like Facebook and Google are the inevitable saviors, for better or worse.
The GDPR and Facebook and Google, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Data Portability and Social Graphs
The GDPR will hurt Google and Facebook; it will hurt their competitors far more, which means the position of the two biggest digital ad companies will actually be strengthened. Then, why data portability won’t help build the next social network.
Ends, Means, and Antitrust
Google is a monopoly, and almost certainly a bad actor: shopping, though, is a terrible example that shows how regulators can go wrong.
Apple’s EU Tax Problem, How Apple Pays Taxes…Eventually, Everyone is a Loser
Apple has to pay Ireland a lot of money…maybe. Why this is probably a bad decision, and why everyone involved is a loser.