US Threatens Penalties Against European Tech Firms Amid Regulatory Fight (nytimes.com)
- Reference: 0180398515
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/12/16/1850216/us-threatens-penalties-against-european-tech-firms-amid-regulatory-fight
- Source link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/business/economy/us-eu-tech-penalties.html
> The pronouncement appeared to signal a rockier period for U.S.-E.U. trade relations, as the two governments work to finalize a trade framework they announced this year. The United States has been pushing Europe to open up its tech sector to American firms. But U.S. officials have complained that the European Union has not walked back broader regulation of company business practices while also proceeding with investigations of major American tech firms like Google, X, Amazon and Meta.
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> In a social media post, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, which has carried out the negotiations, said that the European Union and some member states had "persisted in a continuing course of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines and directives" against American companies.
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> The United States had raised concerns with the European Union about these issues for years "without meaningful engagement," all while allowing European companies to operate freely in the United States, it said. If the European Union continues these policies, the United States would "have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures," the U.S.T.R. said. It named fees and restrictions on service companies among the possibilities, and said it would use the same approach against other countries that echoed Europe's strategy.
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> The post singled out potential European service providers that could be targeted by name, listing Accenture, DHL, Mistral, SAP, Siemens and Spotify, among others.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/business/economy/us-eu-tech-penalties.html
Seems fair (Score:1)
Every day I hear about a half-billion dollar fine from some EU entity against some US company. I hope the US companies aren't actually paying for this bullshit.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
On the other hand, it would be nice if the US believed in things like fairness, privacy and law.
That said, I'll happily watch spotify get fucked to pieces.
Re:Seems fair (Score:5, Insightful)
Trump and his supporters only claim to support law enforcement when they aren't the ones being investigated/prosecuted for crimes. Trump is a criminal and with recent activities, shows the current US government is a rogue state.
Re: (Score:1)
Right? Who is the US not threatening these days?
Re:Seems fair (Score:5, Informative)
Trump even attacks US citizens these days, so it's NOT good.
Re:Seems fair (Score:5, Insightful)
Almost like US companies have problems operating lawfully or ethically.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
> I hope the US companies aren't actually paying for this bullshit.
Don't worry, most aren't. A large majority of business are run by reasonable people, so when you show them that they're breaking the law, they simply change their behavior to comply, thereby avoiding any fines.
These are very easy fines to avoid. If you, personally, were in their shoes, you would find that you'd have to go to a lot of extra trouble to get into trouble. Only the very stupidest/stubborn laughingstocks are ever going to have to p
Or else (Score:4, Funny)
The tariffs rise to ONE BILLION percent!
Republicans could hold a vote tomorrow and shut this tariff bullshit down immediately.
Remember when world trade was boring and everything just kind of worked? Pepperidge Farms remembers... Everyone remembers the pool scene from Caddyshack. Except now the world is the pool and there's an orange turd floating.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
> Everyone remembers the pool scene from Caddyshack. Except now the world is the pool and there's an orange turd floating.
This reality won't have quite as happy of an ending as that scene. Our turd won't end up being a chocolate bar.
Oh, no... (Score:2)
Anyway...
The EU should outright ban US social media. (Score:5, Interesting)
They are used as a destabilisation tool in Europe for the profit of fascists. I don't even understand why they don't ban them and put a red notice on the arse of their CEO ? Russia Today was outright banned in the EU. The responsibles for Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines were not fined, but jailed for life. That's where Elon belongs: In jail.
It would also make the repulsive people who invest in those companies lose money, which would be a good thing.
Fortunately, the Europeans understand much better now the US will not protect them when NATO will be attacked so i don't think that lever is that strong now. And that the morals of a child rapist are exactly what they should have expected.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, I agree. I wish Canada would follow some of the EU rules and guidelines too.
And all non-US countries and organizations need to reduce their dependence on US tech as much as possible. That means no Google, Amazon, Microsoft or Apple, which practically means we all need to move to Linux and local data centres. It will be expensive as ****, but not to do so is a national security risk now that the US has become a threat to western democracy.
Re: (Score:1)
Says "the voice of Satan".
Perhaps you forgot your sig?
Europe "we have free speech as long as what you say is approved, obviously"
US fell into that 2021-2024, I get it. You need to snap out of it. I hope you do.
I do find it ... curious ... that suddenly this aggressively pacifist bunch of milquetoasts who scurried like cockroaches when called out on their 2% defense budget "promises" (not just by Trump, but by Obama before him - WHO ALSO warned against EU's excessive RU-snuggling over NatGas as well...) ar
Re: (Score:2)
"Free Speech" from the MAGA "If you don't think sunshine came out of Charlie Kirk's ass you're losing your job" crowd. From the SLAPP "BBC hurt Trump's reputation" as if his reputation is even capable of sinking lower than it already is. From the "Let's ban LGBT books" campaign led by Republicans who inevitably subsequently get arrested for possessing CSAM or diddling minors.
HILARIOUS.
Buy local (Score:1)
What is the problem with Europe buying local if there is an option? This makes no sense, other than the government trying to force itself on others
Re:Buy local (Score:5, Insightful)
It's called giving people the freedom to use whatever they want to use, as long as the "whatever they want to use" isn't breaking the laws that are put in place to protect consumers.
Re: (Score:2)
> if there is an option?
Is there such an option? Barely a day goes by without some US VC bankrolled tech bro buying yet another EU company. Hell have you seen Google's share price right now? They are riding the high of an AI boom. It's a good time to remind everyone that 100% of Google's AI efforts and their entire AI division is built almost exclusively out of the acquisition of a European company (actually 3 European companies), with most of the AI development efforts still focused in the UK.
There's no such thing as "local" in t
Well, because... (Score:3)
> "European Union has not walked back broader regulation of company business practices while also proceeding with investigations of major American tech firms like Google, X, Amazon and Meta....
.... because the impotent USA isn't investigating said American tech firms, instead opting to accept bribes from them."
There FTFY
Have you tried not breaking the law? (Score:3)
No, seriously, stop breaking the law.
I mean is GDPR / DSA / DMA that bad? In the absolute worst case nobody is forcing you to do business in the EU.
Facebook, Apple, Google, et al., can just do what other (much smaller) companies do and block access to their sites from the EU. I see it when I'm in the EU and perusing news articles from home. Sometimes I click on one link and I'm blocked because they don't want to follow EU rules.
The same can be said for the fact nobody is forcing Apple or Google to sell phones in the EU. Amazon isn't being forced to sell goods to people in the UK or EU.
Re: (Score:1)
The problem is the EU makes everything illegal and also subjective. Not to mention they literally threatened Elon Musk with unrelated fines unless he cooperated on censoring on X. Then the EU followed through with the threat and made fines for very subjective sketchy things that have zero truth to them. Specifically what they asked him to do was ban accounts on their behalf and keep silent that the EU was who ordered X to ban accounts. Upon refusal, not less than a year later we have these fines for quiet
Re: (Score:1)
Wrong, American's hate the regulations EU puts on internet companies. We hate cookies and we hate being FORCED to use USB-C. If we wanted it we would have voted for it or politicians that implemented it.
What do they expect? (Score:2)
That we'll simply allow the USA to shaft us with all of these companies which are basically monopolies?
- Microsoft (Windows)
- Apple (App Store)
- Google (advertising, Android, Chrome)
- Amazon (AWS)
- OpenAI (illegally vacuuming up paid content without permission)
These monopolies deserve to be hit with regulations and, upon non-compliance, be fined. There is exactly one EU company which is a monopoly (ASML), and even that company is facing competition. All the rest need to catch up to the USA companies. Now, t
Real statesmanship on display. (Score:2)
What are you gonna do? threaten to dissolve NATO and impose tariffs?
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
I kinda think Trump has left them with the impression that NATO isn't going to a Trump thing much longer. I'm kinda neutral about Trump and understand that US companies tend to do whatever they want ethically wise, but I can't tell if the EU is trying to fix a problem or is the problem itself.
Re: (Score:1)
You really should engage in some self reflection.
Re:Not enough (Score:5, Insightful)
American tech companies are only getting investigated and fined because they continue to think that EU laws and regulations don't apply to their operations in the EU. American companies operating in the EU that comply don't have the problem.
Re:Not enough (Score:4, Interesting)
So in your mind EU laws should apply to EU companies, but not to US companies operating in the EU ? Right ? Do you even listen to yourself ?!?
Re: Not enough (Score:2)
"No the EU should act like vassal state that it is"
The US is rapidly leaving its first world status behind. Not surprised you can't see this given where your head is stuck.
Re: Not enough (Score:2)
Ok coward. Pay my way including my USA former resident slave tax.
Re: (Score:2)
LOL. Okay, time for your meds and off to bed with your little boy.
Re: Not enough (Score:2)
The US is trying really hard to let China take its place as Europe's first ally these days! Do you also think that big US tech companies are entitled to European citizens buying their products? What about Chinese companies, are they entitled to US citizens buying their products? I hope we agree that double standards are bad.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I think the problem stems from Europeans not having republican legislators to gut all their antitrust, financial crimes, and consumer protection laws.
Re: (Score:2)
> American tech companies are only getting investigated and fined because they continue to think that EU laws and regulations don't apply to their operations in the EU. American companies operating in the EU that comply don't have the problem.
If the EU can fine or threaten to fine US companies for ridiculous reasons like the Power Jack on iPhones, it only follows that tit for tat is perfectly acceptable.
As EU people have said in if you don't want to follow our rules, don't sell or send your stuff here. What would you want to?
Waiting for the yeah buts, rotting to claim that it is only right when teh EU does this sort of thing.
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
of course you'd sacrifice 80 years of American soft power dominance for your fragile little conservative feelings.
"I'm something of a fucking idiot myself"
Re: Not enough (Score:2)
Trump is the same kind of conservative as the rest of the Republicans, i.e. not actually interested in conserving or preserving anything but his own privilege.
Re:Not enough (Score:5, Insightful)
Have US tech companies considered following the laws in the countries in which they wish to operate?
Re:Not enough (Score:5, Insightful)
It's amazing now little it takes to totally derail trillion dollar corporations. They could build an entire city, but they cannot ensure privacy for the commoner.
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Providing privacy means smaller profits.
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Never underestimate how difficult it is to ensure privacy when your entire business model is exclusively dependent on not doing so.
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The problem is more so that the EU will impose a fine on the American companies entire GLOBAL REVENUE so fines are always are ENORMOUS for tiny little things that may or may not even be accurate in the first place and in most cases do not actually harm or cost users anything.
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Even European companies are fined the same way if they brake the same laws
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You're mistaken. 1) The reason the fines are calculated on global revenue is because those companies started developing legal tricks to avoid having revenues in particular places when it's not convenient; calculating fines or even taxes on the global amount is the right way to calculate them; it does not mean the fines are big or small, it only means it is calculated on a more reliable total number. 2) The reason the fines are potentially enormous is NOT that they are calculated on the global revenue; the r
Re: (Score:1)
The "getting their attention" argument doesn't work because these companies don't operate that way. They can easily break up EU as a stand alone source of revenue and they can even break up individual country revenue. They don't see it as 1% of global revenue they look at the fines as 5000% of EU revenue. The leader of an EU division would handle any fine ASAP because it is on them. There is zero evidence that these fines go ignored if they were implemented on only EU revenue. These fines are purely to extr
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, there should be no digital privacy rights. /s
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> The Administrator needs to unambiguously tell the EU, stop DSA actions against US tech companies or there will be negative consequences for the NATO umbrella.
You're right we should allow business to abuse monopoly positions, infringe on privacy and not give a damn about the negative social impacts. Oh and funnel money into tax havens. /s