Weimer advocates for Google's dismantling as the optimal course of action.
In a bold move, Germany's Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has called for the dismantling of US tech giant Google and stricter regulation of US conglomerates. Weimer made these comments in the "Berlin Playbook" podcast by Politico on Friday.
The minister's call for action is part of a broader discussion on the handling of US conglomerates, particularly in the context of a trade dispute between Germany and the US. Weimer believes that Google's tax practices are unfair to society, as the tech giant makes billions in Germany with huge margins and avoids taxes by routing funds through Dublin.
Weimer criticized Google for paying virtually no taxes in Germany and giving nothing back to society. He sees the market power of Google as a threat to democracy in Germany, as it is vacuuming up local radio, television, and print media, thereby threatening free opinion formation.
This call for action comes after the EU imposed a competition fine on Google, prompting a threat of state retaliation from US President Donald Trump. The EU's digital laws aim to combat the spread of misinformation on platforms and affect conglomerates like Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Google, and Microsoft.
The US government has demanded changes to the strict EU digital laws, but Weimer advocates for tougher tax laws and stronger regulation for US conglomerates like Google at both the national and EU levels.
It is important to note that no prior context was provided for the trade dispute between Germany and the US. The government official calling for strict regulation of US corporations has not been directly named in the provided search results, nor is there clear information about that official's past political party affiliation.
However, Weimer's call for Google's dismantling and stronger regulation is gaining attention and could potentially lead to significant changes in the tech industry, particularly in Germany and the EU. Trump, too, has threatened to initiate a procedure for new tariffs if US conglomerates continue to be fined, indicating a potential escalation in the ongoing dispute.
As the situation develops, it will be interesting to see how both parties respond and whether we will witness a shift in the tech landscape, particularly in regards to Google's dominance in the market.
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