"could face claims of up to €25 billion"
Let's be realistic, nobody is going to fine Google to the tune of €25 billion.
Nobody has the balls to try it.
Google owner Alphabet could face claims of up to €25 billion ($25.4 billion) in a case alleging anticompetitive conduct in relation to ad tech in Europe. Law firm Geradin Partners yesterday announced it would launch action on behalf of publishers who have allegedly suffered harm from Google's approach to ad tech, although it …
The headline says "fines" but the article says "damages". As it's a civil suit being launched on behalf of publishers the latter makes more sense. Personally I have no objection to ad-merchants slogging it out between themselves indefinitely. My lack of sympathy is equally distributed.
This is the same day that the EU's General Court has upheld a 4.125 bn € fine against Google "for using the Android platform to cement its search engine's dominance"
Since Android 10, they've tied security and permissions to Google Play.
So, I bought an Android car head unit, installed a tyre pressure monitoring unit. It comes with software that doesn't need special permission, you only have to tell Android to open the App when the hardware is plugged into USB (and check "always') and the app is given USB permission to read the dongle and talk to the sensors.
Except on Android 10, Google play, regardless of settings, will strip away that permission and the TPMS will stop working. You are forced to install a TPMS from Google Play. A TPMS from Google Play will be granted the permission automatically and will not get stripped of that permissions.
They've tied permissions and security to Google Play forcing people to Google Play.
As an Android developer... no they haven't.
There has been a feature in Samsung devices for years now and Google may have incorporated it in the OS that removes permissions from apps you haven't used for 3 - 6 months. If you have an app you use irregularly simply open Settings | Apps | your app and turn off the remove permissions when not used toggle.
This also happens for apps installed via the Galaxy Store, Amazon App Store or even manually sideloaded apps so nothing to do with Play.
Erm Thailand. You know how you have this rule that requires businesses accept PromptPay? And Google complied and accepted PromptPay? Well for lots of apps they refuse to accept Promptpay, thus forcing people sooner or later to add a credit or debit card, and abandoning PromptPay.
Now might be a good time to enforce your rules.
Headline: "Google faces fines of up to $25.4b"
Para 1: "Google owner Alphabet could face claims of up to €25 billion ($25.4 billion)"
Para 2: "Law firm Geradin Partners yesterday announced it would launch action"
So I guess there might be a case, it might go against Gooooooogle, and they might be penalised to the tune of $25B. Hardly what the headline suggests though.