Chapter 9 Web exercises

The Political Environment

Google is a giant USA-based multinational offering a wide range of services, such as search engines, maps, its Chrome web browser, Gmail, scholar, translate, and cloud services. It operates the world’s most popular search engine. It also controls the Android operating system used by millions of mobile phones worldwide.

Its corporate motto is, ‘Don’t be evil’.

Google has faced a variety of political challenges from the EU, leading to fines being imposed and to Court cases:

Search services: the EU has fined Google for abused its dominant position in the internet search market.
The Android mobile operating system: the EU imposed a fine on Google under Anti-Trust laws following an launched an investigation into whether Google had engaged in anti-competitive agreements or had abused its possible dominant position.
Right to be forgotten: the EU gave individuals the right under certain circumstances to ask search engines like Google to remove personal information about them where that information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, or excessive. Despite Google’s objections it has been judged by the EU that such a right applies worldwide.

In all three cases, Google is appealing against the judgements.

Find out which EU institutions are dealing with each of the above issues. Identify to which branch of the state these institutions belong; the legislative, executive, or judicial branches?

1. Which EU laws or regulations are being applied in each issue?
2. Choose one of the issues and:
- a. summarise Google’s arguments on it.
- b. analyse the implications for Google of losing the case.

Websites

Search Services:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-1784_en.htm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40406542

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/11/google-appeals-eu-fine-search-engine-results-shopping-service

https://europe.googleblog.com/2015/08/improving-quality-isnt-anti-competitive.html

Android:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-18-4584_en.htm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44858238

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-android-fine-latest-billion-eu-european-commission-browser-chrome-web-a8452481.html

https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/google-confirms-it-will-appeal-5-billion-eu-antitrust-fine/