It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.
The post discusses proprietary monopolies, unfair practices/regulatory issues (as Microsoft has had to deal with in the past), etc. Drummond goes on to say:
Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions -- and consumers deserve satisfying answers.
Drummond points out that between MS and Yahoo, you have, "an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts." Rare that you read Google publicly using words like this especially since they offer and continue to develop and grow their own webmail (Gmail) and messenging (GTalk) tools. So why this public statement? The Wall Street Journal (subs only) has more.
From the article:
One person close to Google said it was concerned that there would be nothing to stop Microsoft, for example, from making Microsoft/Yahoo instant messaging services the first thing a consumer saw when they booted up their computer running Microsoft's Windows operating system or its Office productivity software.
Recently, Google has dealt with their own regulatory issues in the United States regarding their acquisition of DoubleClick advertising (the deal was recently approved by the FTC). They continue to deal with antitrust issues in Europe.
The FreePint Family is a family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success.
'FreePint... provides most of my professional development because it won't come through work and [other resources] just don't cut it.'
FUMSI Forum: Do you have a research question? Post it to the FUMSI Forum, where professionals share Q&A and useful tips on how to Find, Use, Manage and Share Information. It's free.
FreePint Shop:
VIP LiveWire:
