back to article Google WON'T ink consent decree with FTC on search - reports

Google failed to reach a settlement deal with the US Federal Trade Commission before Christmas festivities kicked in, but reports are now suggesting that the lengthy regulatory Stateside investigation of the ad giant's business practices could be tied up by the end of this week. Bloomberg and All Things Digital reported …

COMMENTS

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  1. Turtle

    In what ways?

    "While it does seem that the FTC's rhetoric on Google is much weaker than the fiery words of European Union competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia, the US and Euro markets are fundamentally different. "

    In what ways?

    1. Swarthy
      WTF?

      Re: In what ways?

      Did you read the next line? 90% "Stranglehold" in Europe, ~70% "smaller, yet still significant" share in the US. that's a pretty defined difference.

      1. David 164

        Re: In what ways?

        That no relevant to Turtle point, yes the situation is different but Turtle was asking how the EC have been tougher on Google than the FTC.

        Leaks about the deal between the EC and Google seem to hint that they will not be that much sterner on Google than the FTC has been in the US. With the leaks pointing towards the two deals looking very similar in structure.

        But both the FTC and EC have put negotiating with Google way ahead of fining them or imposing regulations on to Google. Sending Microsoft back organisations in a flight of panic looking for alternative attacks strategies against Google, even lobbying to get the DOJ to pick up the case. This is looking like a resounding victory for Google.

    2. Joel Cholakians
      Megaphone

      Re: In what ways?

      KISS = Keep it simple keep it stupid.

      Lets write an automated computer test engine, and write test cases for the engine.

      --TEST CASE 001--

      google.co.uk - type kiss - count the number of co.uk listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      google.ie - type kiss - count the number of ie listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      google.ca - type kiss - count the number of ca listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      google.fr - type kiss - count the number of fr listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      google.de - type kiss - count the number of de listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      google.co.in - type kiss - count the number of co.in listings, how many are top 10, or top 5, or top 3, or #1?

      --TEST CASE 002--

      Prove that even if every person (100% population- 60,776,238), in the UK, visited a UK website for a given keyword, but then in the USA just as many people (60,776,238 from 301,139,947 = 20%) visited a US website for the same keyword, who/what website should appear at the top of google.co.uk or google.ie? US website or UK website?

      Now go forth and write many more test cases for the engine. Interpret the results, graph them, make generalisations, and share your research on online forums.

  2. Khaptain Silver badge

    Badboy question

    Is it technically possible to prohibit "Google + Services" from the Interwebs ? and I don't just mean at the local Firewall level.

    Google have an emormous monopoly, the money to do as they please and far too much power.... Are any of the goverments really capable of "banning" them in order to punish them for their Badboy attitudes ?

    It's actually becoming difficult to imagine the web without Google.

    1. dogged
      Windows

      Re: Badboy question

      I used to think that. Then I decided they were rapidly approaching 1998 Microsoft levels of evil (although still some way short of the Cult of Apple) and decided on a full cull of Google at home and at work.

      Goodbye, Android phone. Go spy on some other poor sap.

      Goodbye gmail - These days the only person to read my email is me.

      Goodbye Google Analytics, you filthy site-slowing, not-worth-the-effort crap.

      Goodbye Chrome. You pretty much suck anyway.

      And goodbye Google Search. There really are alternatives.

      I haven't regretted it for a second. Every day they get more evil and every day I'm more and more glad I'm out.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Badboy question

        I used to think that. Then I decided they were rapidly approaching 1998 Microsoft levels of evil (although still some way short of the Cult of Apple) and decided on a full cull of Google at home and at work.

        Goodbye, Android phone. Go spy on some other poor sap.

        ----

        So I'm curious what phone you do use, given that you believe Microsoft, Apple and Google are all too evil for you to use their phone. Blackberry, I guess? Better hope they stay in business...

        1. dogged

          Re: Badboy question

          I've got three phones.

          1. A Nokia 6310i for use on secure sites (no cameras allowed).

          2. A Motorola RAZR V3xx which I like because the battery lasts a week. My "daily driver".

          and

          3. A Nokia Lumia 800 with all the "report shit to Microsoft" stuff turned off (this, by the way, is ludicrously easy to do) for times when I need SatNav or am likely to be beyond other sources of email for a while.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Badboy question

        How are Apple more evil than Google? you're only evil in my eyes if you have a monopoly or extremely high marketshare. Apple has neither.

        Google are abusing their dominant position, Apple aren't.

        1. dogged

          Re: Badboy question

          Apple have a monopoly - PMPs. They very effectively leveraged this monopoly into phones and then on into tablets (which DID exist before the iPad, sorry about that).

          Do they abuse it? Hell yes. One word - iTunes.

    2. David 164

      Re: Badboy question

      Yes North Korea and China, if you are willing to live under dictatorship, but only the elite in NK get access to the internet anyway. Schmidt is already flying into North Korea to work his magic, so they may not hold out long, China may fall before long through, but at the moment Google barely exist in the country beyond it mobile ads.

      Iran is building it own internet cut off from the world, so you could always emigrate there, as long as you do not mind living among Islamic radicals and perhaps latter this year US and Israeli air strikes.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Badboy question

      If it is possible then I'd like to know so I can do it locally. That way I can be sure I'm not giving them data to sell.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Poor old Microsoft

    crying to their pals again.

    it seems Microsoft are all well and good when it's their monopoly they are trying to maintain (or create), but when someone else has one, it's a VERY different story.

    People use Google, BECAUSE IT'S GOOD. If it stops being good, people still stop using it. Bing is rubbish.

    1. dogged
      FAIL

      Re: Poor old Microsoft

      Is this kneejerk "it must be the nasty fat man making this happen" or did you find the word "Microsoft" anywhere in that article?

      And if you're insinuating that the FTC are Microsoft's friends, would that be the same FTC that fined them billions in antitrust settlement and threatened to break up the company?

      I ask because this is genuinely interesting. If you have evidence to suggest that MS control the FTC, why did they use it to attack themselves? What tinfoil-hatted excuse for a reason do you offer, AC?

      1. Arctic fox
        Thumb Up

        @dogged RE: "What tinfoil-hatted excuse for a reason do you offer, AC?"

        He has none to offer - entirely standard for that type of anti-MS post. Of course there are many things we can criticise that company for, by definition. However, that type of posting is typical of the gold card members of the Anti-Microsoft Choral Howling Society, end of. The FTC are so obviously not Redmond's friends that one wonders why he/she/it bothered to post that.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Poor old Microsoft

        "did you find the word "Microsoft" anywhere in that article?"

        I did find it "Lobby group Fairsearch, which counts Microsoft among its backers, argued that the FTC shouldn't jump the gun"

      3. Mikel
        Windows

        Re: Microsoft in the article

        This whole thing was Microsoft. Here, I can't be bothered to dig up the links for you so have the whole darned article:

        http://readwrite.com/2013/01/03/googles-ftc-settlement-is-an-epic-fail-for-microsoft

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Poor old Microsoft

      I'm pretty sure the FTC don't intervene unless there's a problem and given the EU are investigating Google as well it's pretty bloody obvious that Google are abusing their monopoly.

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fairsearch...

    Fairsearch....

    "Lobby group Fairsearch, which counts Microsoft among its backers" ...

    If you did any research at all you'd quickly find that Fairsearch is a Microsoft stool pidgeon - its run by people very close to Microsoft and companies like Expedia and Hotwire are Micrsoft owned companies.

    Their views are not seen as representative by many in the business and statements on their sites from companies like Kayak are actually contradicted by statements directly from those companies.

    They are about as neutral as Florian Müller

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Google did not biase search results ..

    "regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission .. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google’s actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law".

  7. Alan Denman

    Lobby group Fairsearch, which counts Microsoft among its backers...

    Plenty of stool pigeons here I see.

    "Goodbye google, hello mega expense.". That's the corporate wish some comments try to fulfil.

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