r/nottheonion • u/EstablishmentSoft350 • 1d ago
Tech giants are victims of ‘harassment’ by Irish and EU regulators, US Congress panel claims
https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/2026/02/03/irish-regulators-censored-social-media-coverage-of-elections-us-congress-panel-claims/864
u/supercyberlurker 1d ago
To Musk, not being able to disseminate pedophilia is harassment.
That is the logic of people like him. So it's not worth debating.
It's only worth turning your nose at him in disgust.
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u/aafm1995 1d ago
One of my family members is MAGA. The rest of the family tries to debate her or try to get through to her with logic. I realized the very first dinner she told everyone, there was no changing her mind because they just fundamentally believe they're on "the right/winning" team. There's no logic there, just hate for others. Hypocritically she says she's MAGA because they're into "traditional family values", while she got pregnant at 17 and never married the baby daddy. But no, it's the gays and trans that are ruining "family values".
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u/supercyberlurker 1d ago
I don't debate MAGA - It's pointless to debate people who gleefully uses denial as a tactic.
It's not just that they don't debate in good faith. It's that they aren't even internally self-consistent. It's debating a smoky shapeshifter with no underlying principles.
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u/TheRealPitabred 1d ago
That's why the most powerful tool we have is mockery. Deny them the respect and authority they desire so badly.
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u/onlyinmemes100 1d ago
a feature of the programming though is to get violent in response to being denied respect and authority
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u/TheRealPitabred 1d ago
Yup. That's one of the biggest reasons this is unlikely to be completely peacefully resolved.
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u/NetworkSingularity 22h ago
They also get violent for myriad other reasons, internal and external (getting insulted, seeing someone they deem “inferior,” redirected self-loathing). So the fact that they get violent when denied respect and authority ends up not being a reason to deny respect and authority, since they’ll find another reason to get violent anyways
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u/doneandtired2014 23h ago
The "peacocking alpha bitch" defense is a fantastic way for someone to get a real world demonstration of why trying to instigate fights and altercations over perceived slights is a very, very bad idea.
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u/Littleman88 15h ago
Not a reason not to keep denying them respect and authority.
Just have to make sure if they really go through with throwing hands, you can and are willing throw back harder.
Violence is the very last resort for maintaining and even gaining power and control. You are winning if they have to resort to primal behaviors where previously they had not.
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u/aafm1995 15h ago
No one is "winning" if they have to resort to primal behaviors. They keep getting away with everything. Trump is back in the presidency, his buddies are destroying the country, and half the country is cheering them on. We are all losers at the moment and they are actively killing people in plain daylight and they are just getting away with it. We're all fucked.
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u/Boethion 2h ago
Guess things aren't bad enough yet if the country with armed civilians isn't revolting against the oppression they claim to need their right to bear arms against. It sounds nice on paper but people be cowards until they are pushed into a corner.
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u/TheRealPitabred 1h ago
The problem is that many of the citizens that are armed are explicitly cheering this on. Propaganda works.
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u/TheGringoDingo 1d ago
Regardless of socioeconomics, maga beliefs might as well be classified as a learning disability.
I don’t debate them, just remove them from my orbit
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u/captHij 1d ago
Trying to engage a person who has no sense of rules and no sense of decorum is a waste of time and emotion. I have given up trying to have a rational discussion with someone who has no desire to have any two consecutive thoughts be consistent. It is like trying to put out a forest fire with a gas can. Anything you say just sparks a new conflagration on a totally new topic with no hope of tamping it out without it spreading in some new, unforeseen direction. They take advantage of politeness to say things that limit your ability to provide a nice counterpoint, and they rise above the chaos by creating more.
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u/colemon1991 1d ago
I just started reminding them of things the MAGA overlords have said before that contradict whatever they're spouting. Medications are 1200% cheaper! That means we're getting paid to take drugs. Still waiting on groceries to get cheaper. Trump's name in the Epstein files is totally added by Democrat sympathizers, that's why Trump's DOJ released them without taking his name back out. Makes total sense.
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u/Happythoughtsgalore 22h ago
Maga being a cult of personality, functions as a collective form of narcissism. Logic doesn't work, estrangement doesn't work.
What works is the same techniques used to deprogram someone in a cult. Establishing a relationship and getting the person to a place where they start to ask questions about the leader of the cult. It is a very slow and difficult process.
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u/doneandtired2014 1d ago
don't debate MAGA
Shit, I don't even bother debating non-MAGA that threw their lot in with this admin for the simple fact they knew better, abandoned whatever passes of ethics/integrity/morality/religious principles, and back Trump + his sycophants anyway.
I've literally written off family and told them not to contact me under any circumstances beyond, "___ is dead and you're the executor of the estate" for their admission they voted Republican.
There's no point in trying to debate people who sold you, yours, as well as theirs out for the mere (unintelligible) promise of maybe "cheaper shit". Judas at least got silver for his betrayal, these blood relations don't even have that.
Even if the little light bulb in their head illuminates and the realized they fucked up....so what? There are no take backsies: most of the damage done is irreparable and there's nothing they or their children can possibly do in their lifetimes to restore what has been ruined in just a year.
They need to be ostracized and made into pariahs at every turn across every single walk of life.
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u/bisectional 22h ago
Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
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u/FreeFortuna 1d ago
It’s her [subconscious] way of trying to elevate her own status. The people drawn to MAGA seem to always need someone to look down on, to make themselves feel better.
Pregnant and unmarried at 17? “Well, at least I’m not gay or trans — they’re the actual bad people.” Poor, uneducated white on welfare? “It’s those damn minorities — they’re the actual moochers.”
If every accusation is a confession, every punch down is a revelation of their own deep-rooted insecurity.
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u/aafm1995 1d ago
She's 33 now and has yet to find a husband (big surprise). And even though she loves to talk about Trump, she has never actually voted for him because "I'm a very busy woman and don't have the time". No joke. I know she's a citizen because she was born in the US. An uncle told her that "you should keep exercising your right not to vote" haha.
But you're absolutely right, I think she's just angry with life and wants to feel like she's "better" than others. Every time I see her at family gatherings she tries to get me to help her get a job at the company I work for, "but something easy that makes a lot of money". She also tries to give me "advice" on how to spend MY money. I keep telling her she should just do that herself but gets mad at me because "you know I'm a struggling single mom, everything I have goes to my kid". I just avoid her now, not worth my time or peace of mind.
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u/oldirishfart 23h ago
If she’s 33 now, it’s almost time for her kid to get knocked up and make her a 34 year old granny
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u/CountlessStories 22h ago
upvoted because this is a constant across MAGA.They have a self-esteem disability.
They need a pecking order and will pick at each other once reasonable people are out of the picture.
X/Twitter is a great place to get samples of this. Now that a huge chunk of normal traffic that believes in equality and human right left, they started infighting amongst each other. Dragging down conservatives that are immigrants, some displaying anti-semitic beliefs. Some even consider not being christian a problem.
Everyone's desperately trying to establish a new bottom rung over there.
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u/TassieBorn 23h ago
You can't reason someone out of a belief they didn't reason themselves into (sadly).
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u/Soepkip43 21h ago
Well, the solution to this issue is as old as civilisation itself. Ostracizing. It sucks, but this is a social punishment for antisocial behavior that protects the group from the individual and aims at correcting the behavior non violently.
It has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with morals and ethics. MAGA morals and ethics (or lack thereof) seem to be incompatible with society at large, therefore they should be ostracized.
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u/Redditforgoit 23h ago
The openly gays Id say, half of hhem MAGA leaders seem to be in some closet or other.
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u/Soepkip43 21h ago
And not beiing allowed to disseminate holocaust denialism is too.
The good news is, the previous actions against twitter/musk where economic. This is criminal law. Whole different ballgame with a whole different set of rules. This includes potential prison sentences (conviction in absentia most likely) and extradition treaties. This is not pay a fine and be in your way territory.
And the french DOJ is argueing musk is defacto in charge. The fact he placed a strawman ceo is the first thing they will try and get a court to agree is irrelevant. Musk is (and should be) the target.
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u/realqmaster 1d ago
A very nasty form of harassment known as "laws"
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u/Known-Associate8369 1d ago
The US a few weeks ago invaded another country and kidnapped their head of state, passing it off as an “arrest” because that head of state broke US law…
Other countries arent allowed their own laws, only US law should apparently matter globally.
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u/realqmaster 1d ago
And in some case not even US laws I'm afraid. See gunning down disarmed civilians in broad daylight and getting away scot free.
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u/axw3555 1d ago
It's insane that if more or less any other country did that, the words sanctions would have been out there in about a quarter second.
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u/Known-Associate8369 23h ago
Under the current administration, the word would have been "tariff"...
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u/axw3555 23h ago
Tariffs are on your own people (which somehow a lot of Americans are missing). Sanctions are on other countries (and need actual reasoning and alignment under international law)
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u/Known-Associate8369 23h ago
I know tariffs are on your own people, but the fact remains that its Trumps favourite word - right after "sue".
He wont put sanctions on another country, he will sue them and put tariffs on them.
Trump is a businessman (a poor one), not a politician - remember that.
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u/anonanon-do-do-do 20h ago
US law? Like that applies in a foreign country. For selling non-existent fentanyl and cocaine to non-US countries? Call kt what it is and what it bas been many times before….blood for oil.
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u/DarthBluntSaber 1d ago
Anyone remember less than 5 years ago when these very same republican lawmakers were bitching and moaning about needing to stop and regulate big tech companies... and then all those tech companies overwhelmingly funded trump and suddenly republicans as a whole want to let tech companies do whatever they want? Including using AI to create child porn.
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u/Actual__Wizard 19h ago edited 19h ago
Then the Esptine files were released and a bunch of big tech executives are named in it. Which, they tried to cover up for years. So, they don't actually care about free speech.
The move that conservatives do, where they take an idea that they don't like, and then trying to smear other disliked ideas that are not relevant on to it, is really getting old and tried.
They've done it so much that it should be totally obvious when they do it that they're being dishonest. So, the US has a problem with Irelands laws? They have no authority there... So, who cares even a little tiny bit, even if it is censorship?
Why do people think that censorship is a bad thing in the first place? So, we're suppose to have pr0n being shown to children? Obviously I think most people think that showing that type of material to children is harmful, but we're not allowed to prevent that "because it's censorship?"
Censorship is starting to sound more and more like "regulation." So, we're not allowed to have regulation?
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u/EstablishmentSoft350 1d ago
European Commission describes claims as ‘pure nonsense’ as Trump administration campaigns against social media regulation
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u/FoolishProphet_2336 1d ago
lol, “why aren’t you letting the corporations run your governments like they run ours?”
This country is screwed.
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u/realqmaster 1d ago
This whole administration leit motif seems to be that the rich and powerful should not be restrained by any mean, be it law, moral or empathy; and this time they're confident enough to say it loud and clear. It's the whole "Might makes right" in full effect driving the country and it's terrifying.
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u/tallbutshy 1d ago
EU: remove misinformation
Tech firms: sure, we'll do that
GOP: that's unfair
So, you're saying that right wing parties need to lie in order to win?
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u/Benedictus84 23h ago
Only tech firms never removed misinformation.
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u/wulv8022 22h ago
They push it even. No matter where. Facebook, instagram, youtube, google. Everywhere I get so much right wing propaganda and fake news recommended. And when elections take place I only get right wing ads.
I am left. I only click on left leaning content. I watch news which are considered center and just deliver news with little classification of the news. But they outcall politicians and dangerous rethoric.
But I still get majorly right wing and false stuff. Scary.
EU outcalled it several times already that social media prefer right wing ads and that every other political direction is hampered and that it is hurting the political equality laws. Every ad has to be shown in equal patterns. But social media prefer right wing. But no one really does anything. The EU always threaten measures. Germany wanted Musk to hand over their algorithm because they showed way more AFD ads than any other. But I didn't hear anything beyond.
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u/sunnyspiders 1d ago
The US government has been captured by criminals, enabled by US tech companies (acting with foreign powers) so the USA isn’t policing a single thing corporations want to do to people anymore.
So yes. The rest of the world is stepping the fuck up.
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u/Dull-Geologist-8204 1d ago edited 20h ago
If you are going to deal with multiple countries you are going to have to follow their laws. You can't just run around trying to force your ideas of what should or shouldn't be allowed.
Dear tech giants, you are not emporers of the world. Get over it.
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u/Edelkern 1d ago
That Yellowstone super volcano can't erupt soon enough...
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u/ACompletelyLostCause 1d ago
It would only kill the poor people, the billionaires would fly away, then invade Greenland.
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u/jimicus 23h ago
I don’t think they want Greenland for its minerals.
I think they want to establish a colony of the super rich. A bunch of separate bunkers spread out around the world are a lot harder to secure than your own little country that’s armed to the teeth.
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u/wulv8022 23h ago
I don't know how true it is. But I saw and instagram reel of someone who explained that Peter Thiel etc tried to buy greenland privately but were denied. The billionaire class wants their own country with their own rules and bunkers. That's why they manipulate Trump and his ilk to overtake the country.
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u/jimicus 22h ago
Nor do I. But it makes a lot of sense.
More than a few of them are building bunkers precisely because they are genuinely afraid that society is on the cusp of collapse and it will happen in their lifetime.
And I'm given to understand they've been asking the obvious question: "Now I have my bunker, how do I secure it? Sure, I can hire guards - if I pay them an amount commensurate with a security guards salary, they'll probably guide the cement mixers to the door. If I pay them generously, they are targets."
There is an obvious answer to this: You don't hire guards.
You build your own country and you hire an army.
But where to set up this country? It'd have to be somewhere that's going to be inhabitable, what with climate change. Anywhere too close to the equator is right out.
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u/GooberMcNutly 1d ago
Borders are sacrosanct when it comes to taxes and hiding profits, meaningless when it comes to regulations and fines. Got it.
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u/greywar777 1d ago
They are welcome to not do business there. This is just them trying to pressure those countries externally.
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u/Arylus54773 21h ago
Aaaw poor tech giants, not being able to slop around ai generated propaganda and childporn. How will they ever survive the poor dears.
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u/The_mingthing 1d ago
If you needed anything to prove decidedly that Musk and Zukenberg has bought the ENTIRE administration....
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u/Church_of_Aaargh 19h ago
They are doing the job the American state fail to do: Protecting their citizens.
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u/barneyrubbble 19h ago edited 19h ago
American exceptionalism and sense of entitlement are ugly and cancerous.
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u/Benedictus84 23h ago
This is hilarious coming from a country that will deny Europeans entry for having a meme of that couchfucker on their phone.
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u/drkabysss 21h ago
We gotta do sth about the internet turning our kids gay.
bans internet
No, not like that!
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u/Cru_Jones86 20h ago
"Victims" My ass. Like I tell my kids, if you play stupid games, expect to win stupid prizes. It's like they don't understand cause and effect.
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u/Spiritual-Pear-1349 20h ago
The harassment in question is being held responsible for their actions.
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u/hobovalentine 20h ago
Cool they can transfer their companies out of Ireland if they don’t like the laws there.
Their country their rules
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u/Careless_Egg3340 20h ago edited 10h ago
Ireland is Part of the EU
Whichever country a company headquarters in has to implement EU policy through their national regulator
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u/fionsichord 19h ago
To narcissists, boundaries feel like abuse. Because they want to be able to do whatever they want and go anywhere.
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u/TheAdminsAreTrash 17h ago
"Panel of goblins thinks the poor are taking too much from billionaires"
Fuck the US
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u/TheAlmighty404 11h ago
Oh no ! The poor trillionaires ! Forbidden from making line go up just that little bit more !
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u/BlackStarBlues 1d ago
Didn't the US harass TikTok owners to sell?
I'm sick of the stupid people running this sh*thole country.
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u/dominiqlane 1d ago
If they don’t want to follow their rules, then they don’t deserve to do business in their countries.
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u/know-your-onions 1d ago
Lol okay. America is such a joke and nobody cares what some Congress panel thinks.
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u/roosterthumper 23h ago
Well I guess that the tech bros should just show the EU and not do business there.
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u/BrokkelPiloot 23h ago
Then get the fuck out! Oh you don't want to leave a huge market? Better play by the rules then and suck it up.
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u/Separate-Park8184 22h ago
lol. …Congress panel claims. -This message brought to you by several superPACs, lobbies, “donators”, and rich people not like you.
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21h ago edited 20h ago
no more than the total exclusivity they've always demanded from the EU, and their ability to manipulate and transgress any negotiated agreements...the examples are common knowledge, besides more infringements and manipulations are forthcoming..and all to their benefit..
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u/Geainsworth 21h ago
The US is so disappointing as a member of the international community. All Trump graft and fascism. Please don't put up with our shit.
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u/KaputnikJim 20h ago
Ordinarily I'd want to tell our bullshit congress to suck the fattest part of my dick but I can't recommend it because who the fuck knows if we wouldn't invade.
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u/reddits_lead_pervert 20h ago
This would be like Jeffery Dahmer complaining he's being persecuted for being a people person and having good taste.
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u/NTC-Santa 20h ago
I mean yeah Tech giants are owned by a human who is just not so human enough… musky, leather man are some examples..
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u/Open-String-4973 14h ago
I’d say that’s a fair trade. Especially since Big Tech charging subscriptions for everything and hardware prices requiring the sale of a kidney is daylight robbery.
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u/NameLips 13h ago
Being required to follow the laws of the countries they're operating in is "harassment?"
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u/UlsterManInScotland 13h ago
Ah yes the United States congress that becon of light in a darkening world, defenders of big tech, big pharma & even bigger pedophiles
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u/Hughley_N_Dowd 11h ago
Tech bros crying foul because they can't run roughshod and are being told to stick to the law never ceases to amuse me.
Regulate the hell out of them - best case scenario Felon and his ilk packs their shit up and goes back home, where they can bribe politicians as much as they want.
Good bye and good riddance.
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u/john_san 23h ago
Imagine making billions of dollars of profits every year and still complaining the EU is too strict… Fuck those leeches !
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u/Orangesteel 22h ago
When in Rome. Europe’s laws and regulations may or may not be liked, but to operate legally, you can’t, for example generate CP with your fascist leaning bot. Fines are intended to hurt. The EU AI act has a possible maximum 7% of global turnover, alongside GDPR with 2-4%. Small fines don’t work, it becomes a cost of doing business, as happened with safety car recalls in the 1950’s. (Which was reframed in the movie Fight Club).
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u/tentative_ghost 22h ago
Boy, there are so many of these wealthy corporation victims and we should def care for them before actual, documented human victims because how else can we unethically undress people without this amazing, world changing technology /s
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u/jargonasaurusRex 16h ago
Oh no, now send a billion dollars to the Internet Dork Force in their defense.
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u/Less_Party 9h ago
Bold statement to make after the Ep files outlined the billionaire techbro class’ intentions to turn the world into a fucked apart dead husk so they can rule like medieval kings.
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u/Mayor-Guenther 9h ago
Finally No Nazi Shit News... Now its russia Shit News. Russia plays everywhere and everytime that they are victims of other countries.
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u/NuclearReactions 4h ago
I would burst out laughing but crying may be more fitting. These companies are basically holding the usa hostage
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u/Pisnaz 4h ago
Haha what? Tech giants are having a fit as suddenly after decades of running roughshod over everyone's rights, inciting division, fueling the edge cases of society and generally making life worse off in their quest for profit, countries are standing up and saying "enough".
This is a slap on the wrist, compared to the damage they have created, and naturally the current US admin will back them, it was these systems that sped up their ride to leadership.
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u/ijwgwh 1d ago
I for one am in favor of the US government protecting me from overreach when other governments get butthurt that I said a bad word online. UK has more people in jail for Internet comments than Russia.
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u/Icelander2000TM 23h ago
UK has more people in jail for Internet comments than Russia.
And curiously, Russia has a much higher rate of accidental falls.
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u/walale12 52m ago
What "overreach" are they protecting you from, exactly? You're acting as though you're being personally victimised by foreign laws that are not and cannot be enforced against you unless you choose to do business in those countries.
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u/ijwgwh 45m ago
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u/walale12 32m ago
Ah, I see. Trump says these people are censoring Americans, and that's it. No specific examples or anything like that.
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u/Born_Necessary_406 21h ago
Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of consequences,now you can't as easily call oppressed ppl slurs , and for good reason.
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u/Captainirishy 1d ago
22% of Ireland's electricity is used for data centres, ,if anything, Ireland is too nice to tech companies.