Android’s “Choices” screen is a privacy issue

About a year and a half ago, Google started auction lucky to be one of the search engines that European users could choose default on Android devices. And over the past year and a half, we’ve seen familiar targeting ad giants continue to take these expensive niches.

This auction was the result of a massive antitrust case launched by European authorities in 2018. In addition to criticizing the company with a penalty of $ 5 billion, regulators have also demanded that Google start offering users a choice when they start their Android phone with regard to the browser or the search app they prefer to use, rather than forcing them to use Google’s. Google obliged, but in the most Google way possible: by requiring competitors to fight financially for the chance to be in one of four search locations on the coveted Android Choice Screen.

The results for the last auction are far from promising. When it comes to choices, the truth is that Tens of millions of Android users will largely choose between one of four non-Google search options: Bing, GMX, owned by Microsoft, owned by the German digital giant United Internet AG, or the ironic name PrivacyWall, which is owned by a large adtech company named Social gaming media.

Like TechCrunch points out, the only thing all of these players have in common is that they reap immense benefits by tracking and targeting users in searches, in a way surprisingly similar to Google. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that despite these other options, the search giant is still, well, a search giant in the region. In addition to swallowing the majority of the international search engine market, Google takes roughly more than 85% market share in member countries of the European Union.

Asked about the European Union’s inability to curb Google’s relentless behavior in the region, some of Google’s search competitors previously Told the Washington Post that it was the natural result of letting Google solve its own problems. In other words, the EU authorities literally let Google load rivals for the privilege of appearing in Android’s select menu and challenging the company’s dominance in the process. Who did they think would win?