Comment Re: Is the EU going to pay for Apple/Meta costs? (Score 1) 28
I think they are being asked to do less, like, don't collect data without permission
I find myself in the odd position of (kinda) defending a company that I find abhorrent, but isn't what you're talking about what Facebook is already doing in Europe with their current approach? They provide a for-pay service that users can subscribe to without consenting to the collection of data. For those willing to provide permission for data collection, they provide a free version of their service in exchange for being able to monetize that information. And having done that, the EC is now saying that's no bueno.
It seems here that the EC isn't simply saying that you need permission to collect the data (what you suggested), they're saying that you aren't allowed to monetize data that you have permission to collect. If true, that would effectively end targeted ads. To be clear, I'm fine with the utter and complete destruction of targeted ads as a mechanism for monetizing services, but (a) I don't understand how the DMA gives them any basis for that argument, and (b) a change like that would render a lucrative business model that is in widespread use completely non-viable, which will necessarily mean a massive reduction in the amount of money available to operate services in the EU.
Again, I'm fine with that if it means a return to the more "boutique" or "artisanal" Internet that we enjoyed in previous decades before big money showed up (i.e. blogs and indies regain their previous prominence because businesses see no point in investing in the space), but that, to me, seems like the inevitable outcome if this really is the direction the EC is pushing things. Of note, it'll also mean the elimination of thousands or tens of thousands of jobs across Europe for people in software development, who suddenly find that there's a lot less appetite to spend millions of dollars on web apps if they don't have a means to monetize them at today's levels.