
France confirms that Google must remove search results globally or face big fine - happyscrappy
http://arstechnica.co.uk/tech-policy/2015/09/france-confirms-that-google-must-remove-search-results-globally-or-face-big-fines/
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rezashirazian
It's so tempting to imagine Google just shutting down operations in France,
blocking all French traffic from using its products.

I wonder how CNIL would feel about its stance then.

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Nadya
I imagine the cost of shutting down datacenters/laying people off might even
outweight paying any fines.

Google would take a huge economic hit (no businesses from an entire country
purchasing ads...) but I can't help but wonder if the _country_ would take a
larger economic hit than Google would.

It's a _very scary_ to know a company has that much power/control. It would be
a huge economic setback for a country if Google decided to just up-and-go.
Leave them with inferior search engines/products or force a population to use
proxies/alternative methods to access Google at all.

I don't think its a good thing when a single company could strongarm an entire
government.

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Kalium
> I don't think its a good thing when a single company could strongarm an
> entire government.

You know what scares me more? That a megacorp seems to care more about human
rights than a first world western government that professes to obsess over
them.

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Nadya
Oh - and I agree there. In case my post seemed supportive of the U.K/Frances
"Right to Censor Information". I don't agree with it in the slightest. From
_where_ they are trying to argue from, I can at least _understand_ their
viewpoint. I simply don't agree with it or how it is being done.

