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293 points rntn | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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rockemsockem ◴[] No.44608323[source]
I'm surprised that most of the comments here are siding with Europe blindly?

Am I the only one who assumes by default that European regulation will be heavy-handed and ill conceived?

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9dev ◴[] No.44608348[source]
Maybe the others have put in a little more effort to understand the regulation before blindly criticising it? Similar to the GDPR, a lot of it is just common sense—if you don’t think that "the market" as represented by global mega-corps will just sort it out, that is.
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Alupis ◴[] No.44608376[source]
Our friends in the EU have a long history of well-intentioned but misguided policy and regulations, which has led to stunted growth in their tech sector.

Maybe some think that is a good thing - and perhaps it may be - but I feel it's more likely any regulation regarding AI at this point in time is premature, doomed for failure and unintended consequences.

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9dev ◴[] No.44608437[source]
Yet at the same time, they also have a long history of very successful policy, such as the USB-C issue, but also the GDPR, which has raised the issue of our right to privacy all over the world.

How long can we let AI go without regulation? Just yesterday, there was a report here on Delta using AI to squeeze higher ticket prices from customers. Next up is insurance companies. How long do you want to watch? Until all accountability is gone for good?

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rockemsockem ◴[] No.44609124[source]
I mean, getting USB-C to be usable on everything is like a nice-to-have, I wouldn't call it "very successful policy".
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9dev ◴[] No.44609615{3}[source]
It’s just an example. The EU has often, and often successfully, pushed for standardisation to the benefit of end users.
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1. Alupis ◴[] No.44609856{4}[source]
Which... has the consequences of stifling innovation. Regulations/policy is two-way street.

Who's to say USB-C is the end-all-be-all connector? We're happy with it today, but Apple's Lightning connector had merit. What if two new, competing connectors come out in a few year's time?

The EU regulation, as-is, simply will not allow a new technically superior connector to enter the market. Fast forward a decade when USB-C is dead, EU will keep it limping along - stifling more innovation along the way.

Standardization like this is difficult to achieve via consensus - but via policy/regulation? These are the same governing bodies that hardly understand technology/internet. Normally standardization is achieved via two (or more) competing standards where one eventually "wins" via adoption.

Well intentioned, but with negative side-effects.

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2. sensanaty ◴[] No.44613558[source]
If the industry comes out with a new, better connector, they can use it, as long as they also provide USB-C ports. If enough of them collectively decide the new one is superior, then they can start using that port in favor of USB-C altogether.

The EU says nothing about USB-C being the bestest and greatest, they only say that companies have to come to a consensus and have to have 1 port that is shared between all devices for the sake of consumers.

I personally much prefer USB-C over the horrid clusterfuck of proprietary cables that weren't compatible with one another, that's for sure.

3. troupo ◴[] No.44614743[source]
> The EU regulation, as-is, simply will not allow a new technically superior connector to enter the market.

As in: the EU regulation literally addresses this. You'd know it if you didn't blindly repeat uneducated talking points by others who are as clueless as you are.

> Standardization like this is difficult to achieve via consensus - but via policy/regulation?

In the ancient times of 15 or so years ago every manufacturer had their own connector incompatible with each other. There would often be connectors incompatible with each other within a single manufacturer's product range.

The EU said: settle on a single connector voluntarily, or else. At the time the industry settled on micro-USB and started working on USB-C. Hell, even Power Delivery wasn't standardized until USB-C.

Consensus doesn't always work. Often you do need government intervention.