US feds, states could join forces on Google probes: report | Hacker News Reader

US feds, states could join forces on Google probes: report

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67 pointsajaviaad8 comments

AMP must be included in the investigation. Google's latest tactic is the introduction of Signed HTTP Exchanges [1], which still forces publishers to create AMP sites that are delivered from a Google server in order to appear at the top of Google Search results.

Nobody should not be forced to create AMP sites in order to appear at the top of search results.

Mozilla opposes the implementation of the Web Packaging specification [2], which includes Signed HTTP Exchanges, mainly because it can be used to take away control from publishers over the distribution of content.

> The question remains about whether this fundamental change to the way that content is delivered on the web represents a problematic shift in the power balance between actors. We have to consider whether aggregators could use this technology to impose their will on publishers.

If you're from the US, please write to your representatives and let them know about AMP.

[1] https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2018/11/signed-exc...

[2] https://www.iab.org/wp-content/IAB-uploads/2019/06/mozilla.p...

The European Commission found that, since 2008, Google had been altering its search engine results to give priority to its European comparison shopping service - initially ‘Froogle’ and later ‘Google Shopping’ - ahead of other rival shopping businesses.

By ranking Google Shopping service ahead of other competitors, Google was able to significantly increase the amount of traffic to the previously ailing service, thereby generating more clicks and revenue. Meanwhile, other companies were bumped down the list and saw traffic levels drop. CNBC

Google & FB threaten the political hold of the status quo.

I’m neither this way or that on them or whatever, someone always knows at this point and this crowd helps them find out for a living.

It’s interesting how when it was them buying and trading is without knowing, all was cool.

Now their algorithms may be pushing the other sides politics more than mine? Investigate!!!

Government has the power to kowtow the elites. If only the people would wield that for themselves.

Yep. If this is really about fair and competitive markets — fine — just go after all the other industries as well!

Roughly 20 years ago, a similar case threatened to destabilize Microsoft. WSJ

Does anyone know if this typical or atypical for anti-competitive investigations?

It is moderately atypical, but not unheard of. It especially makes sense (to the government bodies) if there's less overlap than expected between state and federal document production requests.

Coordinating a 50-state+DOJ memorandum of understanding is not the easiest thing in the world. The news of a meeting suggests that someone important thinks the juice is probably worth the squeeze.

This is most probably related to antitrust investigation.

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