For years, Google Maps has been a go-to tool for millions worldwide, seamlessly integrated into search results for instant access to directions, locations, and more. But if you’ve noticed something missing recently, you’re not imagining things. Due to European Union regulations, Google has been forced to remove its Maps functionality from its search results, marking a significant shift in how we interact with the tech giant’s ecosystem.
No. Google did it this way so people would blame the EU. They also could just have added more choice to the interface but they rather wanted to remove it to show their users “how bad the EU is”.
Same thing with the cookie banners. EU said you should give your users the choice if they want to be tracked. And the companies build these ugly banners so everyone would blame the EU. But they could also just have stopped tracking their users.
Or maybe they just didn’t want to actively support competing services?
I don’t care what Google wants. Maybe a search engine shouldn’t be competing using vertically integrated services? Or would you defend them when they remove links to non-Youtube-video platforms, and anything else that competes with their products?
We don’t have to sacrifice healthy competition and functioning services to the wants of corporations.
Yes, but that was still Google’s choice. They could have done something for the user but they did not want to