Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

What on earth makes the Germans think that they can decide what facebook must do?


The fact that a company isn't more powerful than a nation and that if you want to have German users you must follow Germany's laws?


Especially if you also like Facebook has a German office.


They are not deciding what Facebook must do in general, but what Facebook must do so that they can sell Germans to their advertisers. Clarification (edit): With this I mean that they don't have to make pseudonyms available to, say, the French.


Don't know why you're getting downvoted. I absolutely agree that it is not the place of regulators to decide which features a website must or must not have. Let the German people decide for themselves what kind of usernames they would prefer.


> Let the German people decide for themselves what kind of usernames they would prefer.

They just did.


No. A handful of politicians decided that the tens of millions of Germans who enjoyed using real name services would henceforth be banned from doing so.


Well, Facebook have an office in Germany for one thing.

Here's some job postings: https://www.facebook.com/careers/locations/hamburg and their Facebook page for the office https://www.facebook.com/FacebookHamburg


Because they want to do business in Germany? Or do you assume that corporation rights are more important than individual rights?


Don't worry though. The communists in the UN will soon decide that Facebook needs oversight.


Germans have historically thought they can dictate their wishes on others.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: