One of the key issues is that illegal behavior by these companies almost never leads to the prosecution of decision makers. This way reckless and monopolistic actions can go unchecked and occasional fines are simply factored in as operating costs.
You can compare it to entrepreneur from a wealthy family
He can take risks, knowing that if he fail, it won't be to the ground
Damage to their brand worth billions
Cambridge analytica scandal costed FB a lot more then the fine
It cost them in their users trust
and that's the worst kind of punishment a large brand such as facebook can get
I guess there is a parallel with actual people. Personal reputation matters, but surely we need to be a bit more harsh when punishing certain behaviour.
It would have sent a strong message to other CEOs. Don’t fuck with people’s data.
But that seldom happens. It’s US, the rich rule the country.
I think, despite the title, this isn’t actually a criminal case. It’s Google taking advantage of that Irish tax loophole.