• @Th3D3k0y
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    10311 months ago

    Pretty sure the EU has done more for USA privacy on accident than our own government has done in general.

    • @ObsidianZed
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      2611 months ago

      For a lot of rights, looking at the right to repair too. Keep it up over there!

      • @sighofannoyance
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        811 months ago

        What about the whole usbc apple thing? dont forget about that one

        • TheMurphy
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          1111 months ago

          It’s actually better than that.

          “Obligation to repair goods to which reparability requirements under Union legal acts apply. The producers will be obliged to repair outside the legal guarantee. They can repair for a price or for free as part of a commercial guarantee. Examples of product groups currently covered: household washing machines, household dishwashers, refrigerating appliances and vacuum cleaners. More products will be added in the coming years, starting with smartphones and tablets.”

          Source from EU’s own website.

        • @[email protected]
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          411 months ago

          They passed some regulation setting the time replacement parts have to be available for devices. 10 years I think. And replacement batteries are mandatory. Both are big wins for repairability.

    • TheEntity
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      3811 months ago

      Just wait for some corporate white knight to come here and explain how EU is stopping innovation. Love these guys, I always have a bag of popcorn at the ready.

      • @[email protected]
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        211 months ago

        REEEEEE MUH LIGHTNING PORT REEEEE IT WAS SUCH INNOVATION REEEEEEEE USBC KILLED MUH 11 YEAR OLD USB2.0 SPEED CONNECTOR

        • @[email protected]
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          111 months ago

          i swear i argued with someone that said killing lightning would create so much ewaste, and that still sounds like a stupid arguement to me…

  • @tabular
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    3411 months ago

    Google may be forced by the EU to give you the freedom to choose which services are linked*

  • @[email protected]
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    2911 months ago

    The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU law that takes effect on March 6, 2024. As a result of the DMA, in the EU, Google offers you the choice to keep certain Google services linked.

    Gotta love the weaselly language.

    I’m wondering if they try to slither out of actually complying with the law.

    • They say they will unlink whatever “Ad Services” is and everything else. IMO they should unlink customer ad profiles from other service accounts, which I don’t expect them to do.
    • The whole point of the DMA is not just to have Google unlink your Youtube account from your Gmail account, but that they provide the same level of service and integration to outside services as with their own, without prioritizing their own. That means that I should be able to use Google Chrome and Search together to the same degree as Firefox and Search. Execs at Google are on record saying the only point of them developing Chrome is to do stuff that is now against the law in Europe. I wonder if they find a new business model or keep the current, illegal one.
  • @whenigrowup356
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    2511 months ago

    I’m sure they’ll do it in a way that’s convenient and doesn’t require 14 clicks through obnoxiously designed popups every single time you use a Google service. Yep, certainly no way this could go wrong.

    • @Plopp
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      1811 months ago

      They just need to put it in the regular account settings and not a single person on the planet will figure out how to get to them and change them.

    • @[email protected]
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      211 months ago

      Law says that they can’t favour their own service over that of their competitors. I guess they’ll break it though.

      • @[email protected]
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        311 months ago

        and when they’re caught, they’ll dispute the claims with regulators, like every company does all the time.

        i remember digging a bit into the french data protection office v. discord a while back, when they got hit with sanctions for not respecting gdpr, and they disputed every single claim, sometimes arguing in real bad faith, like them claiming they handle very little private user data, so they don’t need to do data protection analysies like the law says.

        considering google’s sheer empire on data, i imagine they play the same tricks, but like 1000× worse

  • @[email protected]
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    1611 months ago

    The EU seems like the only major entity actually trying at this point. They deserve a huge thanks in my book.

    • @Plopp
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      911 months ago

      Sometimes the EU kicks ass. Other times, it’s the opposite. See EU browser root certs.

      • @natsume_shokogami
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        511 months ago

        Well, EU at least isn’t compromised like US governments, and still have some sense and its bureaucracy have some senses to prevent Big Tech taking over them, but because of the same bureaucracy and lack of and unwilling to look at opinions from the tech experts, many of their decisions are well, facepalm-worthy such as their upcoming root certs (like you said above) and CRA.

    • Madis
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      411 months ago

      You can already use any backup apps. ADB-based, root-based or simply copying the APKs.

      • JackGreenEarth
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        211 months ago

        Can’t back up app data without rooting my phone, and I can’t root my phone until a third party gets the make files for me to use with magisk, and Motorola is not forced to provide them.

        • @[email protected]
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          111 months ago

          you can definitely back up apps and most files using adb and a computer, and probably even your phone itself by doing adb over the network back to your phone

          also, i think there’s a way of setting up a different location provider in the developper setings on android!

  • @sneezymrmilo
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    811 months ago

    Our EU saviors. Its so disappointing that we need to rely on the EU to force companies to make changes rather than our own governments…

    • @[email protected]
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      411 months ago

      “Google to kill its own browser monopoly and encourage competition instead by leaving a market bigger than the US open”

    • Resol van Lemmy
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      211 months ago

      “Microsoft to stop offering Windows in the EU”

      • Ahri Boy
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        311 months ago

        OEMs will start selling Linux-preinstalled laptops at lower price.

        • Resol van Lemmy
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          111 months ago

          I wonder why not that many people do this. And those that do usually only give you Ubuntu and nothing else.

          I mean, there’s the Slimbook and all, but shipping to my country is more expensive than a US cable subscription for one month.

          • @[email protected]
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            111 months ago

            Because do they sell Linux laptops, Microsoft can simply charge them more for Windows liscences

            • Resol van Lemmy
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              111 months ago

              So I guess the Linux options that aren’t Ubuntu simply get thrown out the windows because of this (pun massively intended)?

                • Resol van Lemmy
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                  111 months ago

                  I simply don’t ever recall seeing a different Linux distribution on laptops sold by da big bois. It’s usually the smaller companies like Slimbook and Kubuntu Focus. Why? Idk, I’m probably just misinformed. If that’s the case, there’s this arrow pointing down button. Go ahead, press it.

                  Why do I keep asking for downvotes?

      • @[email protected]
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        211 months ago

        Nah, they already announced they will let EU users uninstall Edge. But only EU users because consumer choice bad.

      • @TheGrandNagus
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        111 months ago

        Stop, stop, I can only get so erect

    • TheMurphy
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      211 months ago

      Next update after that: “Competing browser taking 100% of Chrome’s market share”

    • @[email protected]
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      111 months ago

      you could, but they definitely pushed you to use a single account everywhere, even logging you in automatically to your google account in chrome if you use it on google search or vice-versa