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AudibleNod OP t1_iwde3ne wrote

Alphabet has over $110,000,000,000.00 cash on hand.

123

Yazon69 t1_iwdfi79 wrote

Small price to pay for a company that has a near monopoly on the Internet.

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pattydickens t1_iwdhsko wrote

What are the states going to do with the money? It's not like the states were the victim here.

215

[deleted] t1_iwdjaa6 wrote

If the penalty doesn't exceed the profit, it's just a tax.

Google should've lost their corporate status over this. As a society, we make no responsible attempt to regulate corporations, which therefore don't deserve their tax status and indemnification powers.

Ya can't have it both ways.

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peeshivers243 t1_iwdjrtj wrote

So they could do this ~300 more times with their total ~$110B ?

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sheepsleepdeep t1_iwdkgjv wrote

Q1 2023: "Google to lay off 2500 employees due to unforseen expenses."

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davepars77 t1_iwdkxj9 wrote

Yeah, because the state is the real victim here.

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rrrrrroadhouse t1_iwdkz79 wrote

Replying to Obie1 (#529,664)

And one run by AI/machine learning.

I have no real evidence of this besides that all their other AI software is called "Alpha". AlphaGo, Alphastar, Alphafold, Alphazero, etc.

Alpha Bet AI manages their investments.

/TinFoil hat off

19

jherara t1_iwdnooa wrote

"This $391.5 million settlement is a historic win for consumers in an era of increasing reliance on technology..." Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement.

Sigh. It really, really isn't for so many reasons:

  1. States get the money instead of consumers unless the state redistributes it.

  2. The amount is a drop in the bucket for Alphabet.

  3. Only certain states even filed.

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LegacyAngel t1_iwdq7xp wrote

Wonder when we will see the apple lawsuit. There is one already but not as big as this one

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professionalmeangirl t1_iwdrxxd wrote

It doesn't look like they have to change anything either, just let us know we can't turn it off.

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Zarkkarz t1_iwdu72n wrote

Put a few more zeroes on that

5

groveborn t1_iwdwuti wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#529,689)

That sounds like a terrible way to exist. Churches on every corner. Many have food drives.

You don't need to have religion to benefit from their excess funds.

8

YankeeinNCandIhateit t1_iwe0cq8 wrote

And how much of this money will be returned to the actual victims of this illegal tracking? Oh, 0.

13

Low_Effective_7605 t1_iwe4a15 wrote

Replying to pattydickens (#529,550)

When you break state laws, yes, the state actually is the victim. Like speeding.

Edited to add: it's literally in the article, smoothbrains.

>The attorneys general said Google misled users about its location tracking practices since at least 2014, violating state consumer protection laws.

The people they illegally texted are NOT the victims.

−7

Cloudboy9001 t1_iwe5hp5 wrote

I wonder how many people are going to jail over this?

NYTimes coverage of this (no paywall):
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/technology/google-privacy-settlement.html?unlocked_article_code=AlcAYsNtMjbCjno43AvvyxUownmODUV-w52tz2RxiVjci5dISB0XtzvABcbh641YE11y5JanbYH9cS4u5T4thNbE-Yn-3xLDrcrxWvsw70pW89oBE8DzMIU-_foUB-hXuQZzAWM--Xn_4oEWsEeewJrgOVojziKLVmz4bawmSzi1zKz66x8V75yRmBmwCLPxzFOuzTbiaTHME_tymNwit28qBdXs1mYotYYeBLi3wDyeQjfwT8A2l7jhig2ZK8EU8bDtI9jBTlgL5u2y6c_8WZ5qavYa2AdW3VHQMwIz8z00Z6PYOUoTgAZCOKUAtu0n1cw2Mqzga_PFlpvnP0aNRJarsARLHqI&smid=share-url

2

F15hm0ng3r t1_iwe5ufn wrote

so this is the reason GA4 sucks

2

TunaFishManwich t1_iweix93 wrote

So about half a day’s revenue. (No, really, it’s half a day’s revenue)

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ExPatWharfRat t1_iwenauc wrote

So why not pay the people who they tracked?

15

SuperSimpleSam t1_iwev0zn wrote

Why even bother tracking states? Plate tectonics is so slow.

10

2459-8143-2844 t1_iwf4dp9 wrote

Replying to pattydickens (#529,550)

Maybe someone can sue like those a-holes that are trying to stop the debt relief. I much rather no one get money than my state, some politicians and their cronies will most likely pocket it anyways.

1

SatanicNotMessianic t1_iwf6i2c wrote

Replying to pattydickens (#529,550)

In some cases the states distribute the money to affected individuals. In other cases such as the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, the money is used to offset the costs of medical care associated with smoking, as well as to fund public health anti-smoking campaigns. The MSA was a very broad-ranging agreement.

Some people think we should use the MSA as a blueprint for energy companies who used similar or identical strategies as the tobacco companies to block climate change information and legislation. It’s actually called the Tobacco Playbook, in which companies will use a range of strategies to sow seeds of doubt as well as pressure politicians to prevent reform.

Needless to say, that’s a fight we haven’t won yet.

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TheFiftGuy t1_iwg32kb wrote

Google had a revenue of just over 69 Billion last quarter (September 2022).

3

TitsMickey t1_iwg5dn3 wrote

Replying to calm_chowder (#532,532)

I forget the name but there’s a website that has all the settlements of major lawsuits that most people qualify for. Most of the time you’re getting 5-7 bucks but it can add up if you qualify for a couple.

9

therealwillhepburn t1_iwgkypa wrote

Replying to welchplug (#530,273)

Largest cloud in the industry. Ring so they can actually see you. Roomba. Whole Foods Market. IMDB. Zappos. Blink home security.

They were also in talks to buy Cisco the food distributor at one point too.

3

datenschwanz t1_iwhir0o wrote

"...as a result of the class action lawsuit those who had family members impacted as a result of Google's actions will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. The three attorneys who managed the suit will be paid out $130.6 million dollars each."
Or something.

1

detahramet t1_iwhocuk wrote

Google is valued at over 1.1 trillion. This find is like the average person in the US being fined $10 for speeding. This is a fucking joke.

2

anonymitee t1_iwjju39 wrote

Replying to 2459-8143-2844 (#532,648)

You’d be surprised how many of these you can stumble upon from ads and stuff. They almost always look like scams, but as long as you do your research and confirm that they’re real practicing lawyers, then it’s usually super simple

2