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Comment by semiquaver | Hacker News Reader

Sorry, what is the antitrust concern about Reddit blocking crawlers that aren’t paying them? Surely you don’t think Reddit has a monopoly on anything?

Or are you somehow suggesting that it’s google’s fault that Reddit took this step? I don’t see any indication that’s the case.

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not that reddit has a monopoly, but that google has.

google is using their power to prevent others from competing.

the problem here is of course that if reddit would be in financial trouble (i don't know if they are but let's imagine they need this money), they'd be between a rock and a hard place.

google should not be allowed to make exclusive deals, and reddit could not survive without the deal, then what would be left? google buys reddit, or the relevant authority approves of the deal?

i thought about the same problem with firefox. let's assume firefox is forced to allow people to make a choice of the default search engine (just like microsoft was forced to allow a choice of default browser on windows) then google might stop paying mozilla, and they could end up in financial trouble.

ideally no company ever depends on a single other company that much, but that only works if we don't allow companies to grow that much in the first place.

> let's assume firefox is forced to allow people to make a choice of the default search engine

let assume apple is forced to allow people to make a choice of the default search engine in safari then google might stop paying apple, and ...

surely firefox is the more interesting example, since they have orders of magnitude less alternative revenue?

> let's assume firefox is forced to allow people to make a choice of the default search engine

Firefox has always allowed people to make a choice of the default search engine, since before it was even called Firefox. I know. I was there building it.

This is not true. Firefox comes with a fixed default on installation. You can change the search engine afterwards but that does not make the default a user choice.

yes, but the default is google, and you have to go into the settings to make a choice, so most people keep the default. what i meant was the EU directive for microsoft where they actually had to put up a prompt at first use asking the user which browser they want, without allowing any default (and, i am not sure, maybe even a randomized list)

if the same was done for search engine choice for firefox then google would no longer be the default, and they would have no reason to pay firefox for that.

If the only way your company can exist is as part of a monopoly scheme then it should stop existing.

And as for Firefox, Mozilla being forced off Google's teat would be the best thing that could happen to the browser.

Yes, sorry, should have been more clear: I claim google is in a monopoly position, not reddit. The rest of the comment is unrelated ranting about reddit's betrayal of their previously-held "public data is public" position.

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