> It does a huge disservice to consumers to try to disconnect the two.
That isn't what is happening here. They are being fined for preferential treatment to their own service on their platform. That isn't the same thing as you're saying.
But why would Facebook not have the right to show Facebook Marketplace on their own platform? Is Facebook not allowed to add features to their app? Is Facebook Group an unfair competitor to other online forums? Who decide what features are allowed?
This is what drives me nuts with so many of these EU antitrust articles lately.
They're clear about the fine, but then it's all handwavy language about what a concrete violation even looks like. So it's impossible to even have an opinion because nobody even knows what we're actually talking about.
Best I could gather from the article is that this has something to do with paid ads on Facebook and Instagram that link to Marketplace vs. paid ads that link to other similar services (like eBay I'm guessing?), and that there's something extra-special about the Marketplace ads that the eBay ads don't have. But what even is the special thing? And is the article even accurate on this? Because it also refers to Marketplace listings as "ads" so it's not easy to parse.
But why would Facebook not have the right to show Facebook Marketplace on their own platform? Is Facebook not allowed to add features to their app? Is Facebook Group an unfair competitor to other online forums? Who decide what features are allowed?
What do they mean by preferential treatment? The article does not state the detail.
This is what drives me nuts with so many of these EU antitrust articles lately.
They're clear about the fine, but then it's all handwavy language about what a concrete violation even looks like. So it's impossible to even have an opinion because nobody even knows what we're actually talking about.
Best I could gather from the article is that this has something to do with paid ads on Facebook and Instagram that link to Marketplace vs. paid ads that link to other similar services (like eBay I'm guessing?), and that there's something extra-special about the Marketplace ads that the eBay ads don't have. But what even is the special thing? And is the article even accurate on this? Because it also refers to Marketplace listings as "ads" so it's not easy to parse.
Well yeah...the EU isn't just going to say "lol we're stealing money from the US". They are going to give themselves a fig leaf