this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2025
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Privacy

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[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 26 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Do Elon now. He owns way too much shit and always tries for a monopoly. Start by nationalizing star link.

[–] friendlymessage@feddit.org 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nationalizing under that administration? Who would that help?

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

America, when they stab each other to death, each shouting Sic Semper

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[–] fxomt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 106 points 3 days ago (9 children)

The DOJ is asking the court to force Google to promptly and fully divest itself of Chrome, along with any data or other assets required for its continued operation. It is essentially aiming to take the Chrome user base—consisting of some 3.4 billion people—away from Google and hand it to a competitor

Fuck yes, shatter that shit.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 61 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Shatter it and probably have it bought out by Elon.

[–] radix@lemmy.world 72 points 3 days ago

Seriously. The only people willing to pay what it's "worth" will end up doing the same thing (or worse).

What we need are some actual privacy laws with teeth, so that the data isn't worth as much to begin with.

[–] fxomt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Elon's a dunce, so he'll probably enshittify it so badly that people will leave. So google is weakened and chrome dies (at least, i hope in a good outcome)

[–] NightOwl@lemmy.one 25 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That regular people would stop using chrome if it turned into xhrome is highly unlikely. These are people who browse without adblocker, use facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and buy Amazon echos. It'd just lead to Doge influencing the direction of xhromium based browsers.

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[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

The court still has to decide. Final verdict this august. There absolutely no way Google doesn't call upon the current administration to help out. Let's not celebrate before the final verdict. We don't know whether it's really final either or whether google can appeal, because if they can, it'll probably take a few years before anything really happens. Maybe we'll even see a new administration by then.

Anti Commercial-AI license

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[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 2 days ago (3 children)

selling android or breaking it up would be terrible since you just go back to each manufacturer making their own flavor with no updates or compatability.

[–] amelore@slrpnk.net 7 points 2 days ago

It'd be good for Android to be mostly its base, the Android Open Source Project. Over the years Google put more and more things in the proprietary part of Android (Google Play Services) instead of AOSP.

Depends on who takes over whether that gets better of course. If they also put too much in Play Services, or ask the manufacturers for a high fee, yes it's possible we go back to more oem flavours.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

I used to believe this, before google turned evil. Right now I'd take 5 shitty flavours than the pure shit google is doing. They have turned into a vile corporation that needs to be cut down

[–] Shayeta@feddit.org 11 points 2 days ago

Disagree, you might be right in the short term, but long term competition like that only benefits the customer.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 79 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Google says government proposals would "harm America’s consumers."

Says the company that couldn't stand by the core value "don't be evil".

[–] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Musk will be champing at the bit to own a controlling share of both of these. It disgusts me to agree with them but they're right. This is the single worst possible time to try and push this through.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is the single worst possible time to try and push this through.

Which is why it's happening now, I agree.

But we, the non-billionaires are still better off after any monopoly split. It's hard to express how incredibly bad powerful monopolies are. The fact that another billionaire will be the buyer sucks, but it's no reason to back away from forcing the legally required split.

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[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 3 days ago

as if america's consumers aren't quite willing to be harmed at this point

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 48 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Monkey Paw:

Chrome is now owned by X

Its now known as Xrome

X for the swastica, and rome for the "roman" (aka: nazi) salute

[–] Turret3857@infosec.pub 17 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Ykno what good. Maybe it'll cause Mozilla to get off their asses and DO SOMETHING.

[–] mke@programming.dev 30 points 3 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The monkey giggles. Mozilla completely pivots to adtech & AI.

P.S. for the record, I continue using a Firefox fork and don't plan on stopping. Criticism where it's due, but I still think they're the best option.

[–] Turret3857@infosec.pub 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Little does the monkey know theyre already starting that and I'm not surprised

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

The index finger slowly curls, revealing the only finger left--the middle finger. The monkey giggles.

[–] haroldfinch@feddit.nl 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You know what, good. Maybe it'll cause the people who keep using Chrome because they don't give two shits about their privacy to get off their asses and use something else.

Just like whole tribes are refusing to move from WhatsApp to Signal, because they say they care about privacy, but actually they don't.

[–] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 28 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I would laugh if a European company stepped in to buy it. Most used browser in the whole entire world bought by a European company? Would absolutely be hilarious and I'd be so down for that to happen.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago

Hilarious AND good for humanity? Sign me up!

[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Take a guess who’s going to buy it.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh god can you imagine the fucking nightmare.

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[–] NightOwl@lemmy.one 56 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Xoogle and Xdroid run by doge.

[–] ohellidk@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ok but is this like REAL yet or did they just say they intend to?

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Reading the article helps to answer this question:

The DOJ is asking the court to force Google to promptly and fully divest itself of Chrome, along with any data or other assets required for its continued operation.

It also links the filing, see specifically "III. Plaintiffs’ Revised Proposed Final Judgment"

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Who reads articles these days?

Thank you

[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

So…. What are the odds on fElon ending up owning some of this shit?

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Depends on how low we can sink his Tesla stock.

It's a team effort, if everyone throws one Molotov we can be done by April.

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[–] DougHolland@lemmy.world 47 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Google is awful, but any other company that could afford to buy and run Chrome would be worse.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 30 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Microsoft Chrome - now with Cortana!

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Heaven forbid it becomes its own company/a non profit.

[–] NightOwl@lemmy.one 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Non profit under this US administration who's mantra is what rules? Seems highly optimistic. I see it being more likely that Musk takes the opportunity to try and get the most popular browser and phone OS that is used world wide.

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[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 15 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Any alternative is better than letting monopolies stand.

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Good. Now do Amazon.

[–] quickenparalysespunk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (8 children)

i really distrust Google and I'm glad about the verdict. I do agree that chrome and android should be ~~cut off models~~.

edit: cut off from advertising business models

on the other hand, like with Firefox, I'm worried about the instability and changes that are coming, mainly in the effect on fork projects Like Graphene, Calyx, Lineage, any privacy-focused Chrome forks, and of course Chromium.

DOJ probably isn't able to guarantee chrome & potentially android are taken over by totally ethical, stable companies/NPOs who will keep the projects open source, or allow an open source offshoot project to which the new organization would still contribute coding people-hours.

I'm sure there will be some sort of guarantees for stock chrome and android users, like paid services/subscriptions will be continued or refunded.

but what about users of community projects based on chrome and Android?

many other Lemmy users have commented how community projects don't really have the resources to keep browser engines up to date, let alone innovate. without Google (which i think is a good thing), Microsoft Edge team could become the de facto direction-setter of Chronium (which i think is really really really bad).

TL;DR the foss mobile OS community, and especially the foss browser community (considering Firefox funding shortfall and AI/ad revenue pursuits) are possibly f*ed in the a for the near term.

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[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 19 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Looks like Google didn't bend the knee enough.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 16 points 3 days ago (5 children)

They'll bend eventually. Money does that.

Remember when DeSantis went to war with Disney? And Disney destroyed him and any chance he had to being a presidential candidate and we all cheered? Then Disney went around to make allegiance with all the non-DeSantis Republicans?

It's all money for stockholders at the end of the day. Not people, not who sits at the throne.

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[–] roguetrick@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

If they really wanted to change the character of the company, spin off the ad and cloud businesses into two separate things and let them figure out the rest.

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