Google’s advertising abuse fine is only a slap on the wrist- Spheron (previously ArgoApp) will provide real change

4 min readJun 16, 2021

People with power always take advantage of those without power — Christopher Pike.

The competition watchdog in France ruled that tech giant Google engaged in unfair business practices by promoting its own ad company at the expense of its rivals. It found that Google’s ad management platform for large publishers, Google Ad Manager, preferentially selected Google’s own ad marketplace, Google AdX. Following the ruling, the tech giant was fined a paltry €220m (£189m), a travesty of justice to the many smaller disenfranchised ad companies. As a form of response to the ruling, Google announced that it was working on changing its ad business.

Same old story

Google’s statement on changing its ad business doesn’t have much credence, given that this is not the first time the tech giant is being fined for its abusive ad practices. In 2019, the EU fined the company €1.49 billion for somewhat similar abusive ad practices. Fast-forward to 2021, nothing notable has changed. The company is still using its dominant position in the market for lucrative broker deals for itself, and, unsurprisingly, it is paying lower fines for its abuse of power.

Despite the laws passed to control tech giants, the companies still hold much power over the market. Furthermore, the fines set may seem significant but are underwhelming compared to the damage these companies instigate on the market.

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) has the decentralized platform to curb power abuse

The actions of tech giants such as Google increase the case for decentralization. We at Spheron (previously ArgoApp) are continually working to ensure that decentralized options are available for entities ready to start the digital migration.

One of Spheron’s (previously ArgoApp) guiding principles is decentralizing power by allowing every member of its platform to decide on critical issues. For instance, in Google’s scenario, a lot would have been different if people were deciding on the repercussions to be taken based on the damage the platform had done. The people with the power would decide the penalties, including those directly affected by Google’s abuse of power.

Because it is the people deciding, a repeat of the exploitative situation would not occur. Google, and other big tech companies, have abused their position in the market due to the large arsenal in finances that they hold. If people had the power and Google the finances, then Google’s power would be significantly restrained through the people’s voice. The people would provide checks and balances. This is what platforms such as Spheron (previously ArgoApp) are advocating for through decentralization.

Could the abuse of power be widespread?

The incidences that make it to the limelight concerning abuse of power by giant tech companies are possibly fewer than the actual number of exploitative incidences. Many similar incidences were probably buried before they made it mainstream media. One of the thoughts this provokes is the extent to which the exploitation is carried out. Could it be that Google users are being used for unethical gains?

The company can use the data it collects for its users to bolster its appeal to potential advertisers. By changing a few words regarding the agreement, which few people read, Google and other giant tech companies could quickly profit from their user data. Protecting yourself against such exploitation is likely only through one method, decentralization.

For instance, at Spheron (previously ArgoApp), we have cloud storage solutions, make its operations clear and transparent to all its users. Moreover, because it is based on blockchain, users get to decide who receives their data and what terms.

Therefore, with decentralization, there is no provision for the creation of platforms such as Google. Giving power to the people makes access to data an equally competitive undertaking by ad companies. No platform receives an unfair advantage as it is up to users to decide on whom they share their data. Users also have the option of keeping their data private, away from advertisers and third parties entirely.

Censorship resistance

The drawbacks of the influence of governments and other central authorities are evident in this case and others. It is time that internet users opt for solutions whose operations are independent of central influences. Spheron (previously ArgoApp) provides a cloud storage option that is censorship resistant, meaning that no central platform.

Such services are required as it is becoming increasingly clear that some authorities control every facet of the people’s lives under their jurisdiction.

We provide what the market needs as it seeks to untether itself from the long-standing influence of central authorities. More progress will be seen by moving to decentralized platforms than by relying on the words of giant tech companies.

What Spheron (previously ArgoApp) does

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) makes front-end web deployment easy, effective, and efficient through its blockchain-based platform that takes your web app to the DSNs (Decentralized Storage Networks). Spheron (previously ArgoApp) removes the hurdles of centralization and censorship through blockchain, ensuring that your web app is permanently deployed and experiences 100% uptime throughout its life.

$ARGO ERC20 Contract Address:

https://etherscan.io/token/0x28cca76f6e8ec81e4550ecd761f899110b060e97

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) CoinMarketCap Link:

https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/argoapp/ico/

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) DEX Tools:

https://www.dextools.io/app/uniswap/pair-explorer/0xd5fc1a6f75cd465c46e2f15f74b9ac0016b18386

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) CoinGecko Link:

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/argo

Spheron (previously ArgoApp) Tokenomics Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R2RURGtsJcp0fK4elikgyeiEQwlShy5aiW75JOzmRsA/edit#gid=1913920126

You can find $ARGO tokens only on:

DFYN: https://info.dfyn.network/pair/0x643a31689bac403cf5854722e418d3949dc62976

Uniswap: https://v2.info.uniswap.org/pair/0xd5fc1a6f75cd465c46e2f15f74b9ac0016b18386