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Last week, Google responded to the billions of euros distributed by the EU in July with a beautifully wrapped finger. Google must stop abusing its dominance on Android – the operating system of nearly 85% of phones.
Phone manufacturers are still required to install a set of Google apps when they use the Googles Software Store Store software on their devices. According to the EU, this hurts competition, innovation and, ultimately, the consumer.
Nice solution for Google: manufacturers can now pay for Google apps. Phone makers prepackaging the Play Store, but not the Chrome web browser and Google search engine on their devices, must pay for money. According to Google, the search engine and browser provide the capital to build Android and keep it healthy. After all, Search and Chrome are data cleaners that convey your (buying) interests to the advertising industry.
If smartphone manufacturers pass on these costs to the price of devices, Android phones become more expensive. With this negative effect, Google sets the tone for the EU because what remains to satisfy consumers, is: soon, I will pay more for my device – Europe will not solve a problem but will create one.
Android leaves the user totally free to use other applications install. Wonderful The problem is that most people do not do it because they accept the default settings. You press OK again, OK and OK and before you even realize it, the data vacuum from Google is at the highest level. The devil is in the default values : easy access to our data and our behavior makes Google so powerful.
Last week, I noticed in South Korea that Google's dominance was not inevitable. A local application like Naver is the most used search engine, maps of Naver Maps and Kakao are more comprehensive than Google Maps. We can use some of this Asian stubbornness.
It may be too late to impose a fine on the EU. As an Android user, you can fully legislate in court and depart from the standard. Google data vacuums can be mastered in three steps. It's so spicy
1. Install a browser different than Chrome Firefox and Opera are fast, stable and offer good opportunities for synchronizing data with your computer.
2. Use a standard search engine different from Google's. DuckDuck Go and Startpage.com want to know a lot less about you. For specific searches, you can still use Google.com without logging in.
3. Choose another map application. I find this myself the most difficult because Google Maps is very good. However, this is also the way Google traces your position almost continuously. I'm using the European version HERE, supplemented by this good old NS application.
Finally, check Google's privacy settings to limit your YouTube viewing history and location data. All the little tips help. Because big tech is as big as we do it ourselves, with our data.
is a technology editor.
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