5mo ago

China to launch antitrust probe into Google

www.cnbc.com

China to launch probe into Google over alleged antitrust violations

16 comments

Got curious and went to the original page, and it is literally just one sentence vague announcement:
Due to Google's alleged violation of the "Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China," the State Administration for Market Regulation has lawfully initiated an investigation into Google.
Really not sure what they actually launched the antitrust probe for; this is just pure political drama lol
Edit: Okay, it is possibly because of Android dominance, but again, still a political drama
- Are you really not sure? Say what you will about China, but let's shelf that for a minute. Much like meta, google is an ever spreading cancer that tries to insert itself into every person's life and has unlawfully used their trust position to do so everywhere in the world. Regardless of Chinese motivations, odds are google has violated anti-trust there too.
  
  Google sure is a cancer, but you are not putting it in the context. They literally only provide two major services in Mainland China:
  ads, which basically allow Chinese business to put ads on Google Ads and Google AdMob
  developer services like GoLang and Tensorflow, but their main business in China right now is Android licensing for Chinese Mobilephone brands for their international versions.
  So,
  For ads, Google AdMob and Google Ads are not accessible in China;
  for dev services, all Android phone in China right now are basically based on AOSP, because in China Google Framework is not useable.
  From this standpoint, there is no visible reason for an antitrust probe in China.
  Edit: After digging into China's antitrust law, they do include laws that allows investigations into companies that is monopoly overseas as long as the company has business in China. So yeah, they do have reasons.
  
  How did they, if their products aren't even available in China?
Ironic that the PRC is investigating Google for being a monopoly while it is itself a monopoly of a single party.
- Rules for thee, but not for me :)
Aren't they banned in China anyway?
- Their search service is banned but they still have ad (AdMob and Google Ads) and developer services (GoLang, Firebase, Android, Tensorflow, etc) there. and their last customer-targeted service remaining are Google Chrome (www.google.cn/chrome) and a website directory Google 265 (www.265.com)
  
  Whats 265? Looks like a search engine?
This is how it's going to be for the next few years then?
Antitrust probe into a company whose products have been banned and shamelessly copied in every way possible is just so funny at this point that it is like ???
- It's a political move. By harassing one of USs largest corporations, the CCP hopes Sundar Pichai will call the morons in charge to complain and ask for concessions.

16 comments