Google has been fined $5 Billion for restrictive practices around it Android phone operating system. The fines were announced by the EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
Ms Vestager alleges that there are three ways that Google has acted illegally:
- it required Android handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and its own web browser Chrome as a condition for allowing them to offer access to its Play app store
- it made payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to exclusively pre-install the Google Search app on their devices
- it prevented manufacturers from selling any smart devices powered by alternative "forked" versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps
After similar action in Russia, Google was forced to allow users to chose between search engines on first startup of Chrome. Similarly, users of Windows in Europe are offered a choice of browsers when it is first installed. Google must cease the identified practices or face further fines.
The fine should prove interesting next week:
The decision could raise tensions with the US government before a visit to the White House by the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, next week. Juncker will meet the US president, Donald Trump, on 25 July for talks on the economy, counter-terrorism, energy security, foreign policy and security.
According to Reuters, the competition authorities delayed the Google announcement by one week to avoid a clash with the Nato summit, where Trump lambasted the US’s European allies.