"EU Fines Are Just Stealth Taxation Against U.S. Tech Companies"

He nails it.

Comment by Ganja Man on article "Germany Cashes Out, Hits Facebook With Fines For Failing To Comply With Its Ultra-Vague 'Hate Speech' Law" :

This is no secret. U.S. companies understand that EU Commission fines, regardless of whether they're based on privacy or competition, are just a revenue generation exercises. You can find the most egregious privacy violators or antitrust cartels in Europe, and they're given slaps on the wrists by EU regulators. But Silicon Valley tech companies are fined billions for made up violations.

 It all started in the 2000s with the EU fines against Microsoft. The Commission got addicted to the fines, and since then, they've gone after Intel, Microsoft, Google, Apple, etc., repeatedly, to extract fines for supposed violations. It's basically just stealth taxation and tariffs. If the U.S. pulled this stunt on European companies doing business in the U.S., the practice would stop overnight.