If ye be sailin' under the EU flag, ye now be havin' the power to dictate what knowledge ye share wit' Google, matey!
2024-01-17
Arr, me hearties! The mighty Big Tech giant be a-gettin' ready to comply with newfangled DMA rules on sharin' o' data. Gather 'round, me lads and lasses, for I'll be tellin' ye all ye need to know to reclaim a wee bit o' control over yer digital privacy.
In a humorous tone reminiscent of a 17th-century pirate, this article highlights a recent development by Google that allows users in the EU to have more control over their digital privacy. Users can now choose the amount of information they want to share with Google by "unlinking" certain services from each other. This change is in response to new data-sharing rules introduced by the Digital Market Act. The legislation, approved in November 2022, will officially be enforced on March 6, 2024.The article explains that Google is offering users the choice to keep certain services linked, such as Google Search, YouTube, Ad services, Google Play, Chrome, Google Shopping, and Google Maps. Users can decide the amount of data they are comfortable sharing and can choose to keep all services linked, have none of them linked, or select individual services to keep linked.
By unlinking these services, users can prevent their personal information from being shared between them, making online tracking more difficult. However, the article notes that users may have to sacrifice some convenience, such as losing video recommendations on YouTube or location advice on Maps based on previous browsing activities.
The Digital Market Act also imposes obligations on larger tech companies to ensure fair competition and protect people's digital rights. Gatekeeper firms, including Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Amazon, ByteDance, and Microsoft, will face restrictions on favorably ranking their services on search and locking users into their devices or using manipulative design practices to obtain consent.
In conclusion, the article suggests that the new rules are a victory for privacy-conscious individuals and smaller providers trying to compete with tech giants. It emphasizes the importance of pro-competition legislation for small businesses, employment, the economy, and consumers, while warning that monopolists will only lose unless they improve their services and win on merit rather than market manipulation.