this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2026

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European Commission Chooses to Keep EU Users Locked Up Behind Big Tech’s Gates (www.eff.org)

submitted 3 days ago by Sunshine@piefed.ca to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk

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[–] DmMacniel@feddit.org 27 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

I fucking despise our current Commission!

[–] Babalugats@feddit.uk 13 points 3 days ago

EPP - "European People's Party" are by far the biggest party in the EU, they are riddled with allegations of corruption and seem to think that they can literally magic up laws and ignore how they got there. Von der Leyen is in the EPP as is Metsola, as both of their national parties are aligned with the EPP (even if they weren't, they all would believe it advantageous to be part of them). There needs to be a serious overhaul of rules and regulations to stop the dirty underhanded tactics that the EPP are forcing through at every turn right now - the majority of MEP's that did actually show up to vote against killing chat control, just so happened to be with EPP and S&D 🙄 .

The seriously undemocratic way that Metsola forced through an unprecedented vote on chat control when 113 MEPs were unavailable is fucking laughable given the way that she has spoken in the past about fighting for democracy.

The current transparency regulations are shite and there is no such guidelines in sight to protect us. Stop Killing Games was undoubtedly stopped by corruption, and things are only seemingly getting worse with Big Tech involved, this is just the latest crap. I don't even think there is yet a list of names that appeared at the Ubisoft event.

EPP has already become too big for their boots, and I would encourage people to check out their own national elections to see who is aligned with them in their country and discourage others from voting for them.

[–] Wiredfire@feddit.uk 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

But hey, we can charge everything using USB-C so.. yay? 😒

[–] IndianaJones@lemmy.zip 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I actually like that one tbh

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 11 points 3 days ago

Yup, my drawers full of various cables have shrinked to a small box simply by refusing to buy devices without USB-C. I'm glad they make it easier now to find such devices by making this a requirement. :)

[+] Wiredfire@feddit.uk -10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It was poorly implemented. USB-C isn’t even the best physical design of cable (and data transmission rates don’t mean anything to the vast majority of people). It generated a whole bunch of ewaste when it rolled out which was silly and avoidable had it been properly worded and thought through. There were also far, far, more impactful things the EU could have been using that effort for.

[–] IndianaJones@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

How did it generate more ewaste?

[–] ragas@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago

Because you had to buy a charger! Duh!

[+] Wiredfire@feddit.uk -6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We essentially already jad a de facto universal charging standard in USB-A. Whether the end that plugged into the device with USB-C, lightning, micro-USB, mini-USB they all had the venerable USB-A connector at the other end. So regardless of what device you were charging you could hook it into any old USB-A charger and be on your way.

Then “everything must be USB-C” gets half-arsed into being. Suddenly anyone who hadn’t already stopped packing chargers with their devices used the “reduce ewaste!” rhetoric of the ruling to justify only supplying a cable. Greenwashing but OK. Problem was then Apple and everyone else immediately jumped to packing USB-C to USB-C cables. Now there’s a bunch of USB-A chargers needlessy defunct and a lot of people had to actually but more chargers so they had something that worked with a C to C cable. Or but an A to C cable but still waste that was utterly needless and entirely predictable.

[–] microcapybara@sopuli.xyz 5 points 2 days ago

You’re right for low-power devices up to 5V/2.4A, to a point. All those USB-A to C chargers/cables didn’t stop working; they should be replaced through normal attrition to the new standard rather than replaced wholesale. I know I still have a bunch I’m using and will continue to until they’re kaput.

But PD capability via USB-C is a game changer. I’ve been in day-long meetings with people who just swapped one charger between at least three different brands of laptops/tablets. Now you don’t need think anymore about which I adapter you have, you just plug it in and it charges.

[–] Seimhe@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

I'm not a fan of the people who vote for them either.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Not the ones before? What soured you on this particular one?

[–] DmMacniel@feddit.org 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Being weak against big tech and taking bribes and also overruling last minute a decision by parliament.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Apologies for the pedantic question. More rhetorical than anything else, that's how I seem to vent my frustration with such negative news. I just wanted to point out EU corruption is nothing new, but a well-established pattern by now. Yet the fearlessness or boldness with which it happens seems on the rise. And that's before the far-right surge coming...

[–] DmMacniel@feddit.org 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Von der "Stop Sign" Leyen should have never become President of EC.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 2 points 2 days ago

Juncker and Barroso weren't too clean either. Not to mention Santer...

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh look! The political class selling out their constituents and weakening national security on behalf of foreign billionaire fascists. It's almost like we live in capitalist dictatorships with the illusion of democracy.

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Capitalist, yes. But not dictatorships.

Visit Belarus if you want to see a real one, for example.

[–] huppakee@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't disagree but on a scale from 0% democratic to 100% democratic the EU definitely has room for improvement

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

This is the EU Commision: they're nominated following backroom deals between EU national governments behind closed doors (which is how one ends up with, as head of the Commission, a profoundly incompetent German ex-Defense Minister who left her ministerial post under a dark cloud), and only members other than the head of the commission are voted in the EU Parliament and it's only a confirmation vote (take it or leave it) not an actual vote selecting who gets the post.

Unsurprisingly, A LOT of EU Commissioners "strangelly" end up after they leave the Commission in highly paid non-executive board memberships or with gold plated consultancy gigs in companies in Industries which they had oversight over or benefitted when they were commissioners.

At least the EU Parliament is elected, using Proportional Voting even.

The EU Commission is not Democratic in any way form or shape, so unsurprisingly it's the most rotten part of the EU structures.