Re: A State Level Protection Racket?
"Let's say just hypothetically that GDPR isn't as fine a policy as is claimed. If that were the case, then fining Google until it left the EU market could be seen as a form of protectionism. Yes I understand that GDPR is very good indeed, but I bet there have been some criticisms of it, correct? Or is this a case of the science being 'settled,' with no further discussion allowed?"
There has been and continues to be, lots of discussion over GDPR. Google and their ilk spent millions lobbying their side during the development of GDPR. They were well aware of how it would work, the principles of implementation and when it would be implemented. They used EU based staff, lobbyists and lawyers who were well versed in the arguments so that they could put Googles side over. Google simply cannot claim that they didn't know or understand the issue or the implications of their subsequent acts.
Having said all that, Google don't seem to have an issue with building a special version of their search engine to fit in with the far more stringent rules in China. Possibly because it's also a big market, but also because they have real competition there.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
