Skip to main content

Google slapped with record-setting antitrust fine in the EU

Google has been handed a blistering setback totaling over $4 billion in Europe. The company was slapped with a record fine by the European Union in 2018, following a 2015 investigation alleging that the company abused its market position as the dominant smartphone operating system (via Android) and engaged in anticompetitive practices.

Google appealed the fine, but the European Court of Justice has rejected it and has largely upheld the original penalty. The commission originally imposed a fine worth 4.343 billion Euros, but following Google’s unsuccessful appeal for annulment, the General Court has only slightly reduced the penalty to 4.125 billion Euros and maintains that the search giant violated antitrust laws.

#EUGeneralCourt largely confirms the @EU_Commission ’s decision that @Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of @Android mobile devices and mobile network operators to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine #Competition 👉 https://t.co/ATb3CgbPxg

— EU Court of Justice (@EUCourtPress) September 14, 2022

“The General Court largely confirms the Commission’s decision that Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine,” says the official press release from the Court of Justice of the European Union on behalf of the General Court. Google can still contest the court’s verdict in Europe’s highest court.

The charges against Google

In its case against Google, the EU’s investigative body highlighted three types of controversial policies put in place by the company. First, Google was accused of forcing smartphone makers to preinstall its in-house Chrome browser on Android phones if it wanted to provide access to the Play Store.

The Google Chrome logo on a black phone which is resting on a red book
Deepanker Verma

Next, Google was lambasted for paying manfacturers and cellular carrier service providers to exclusively install its eponymous search engine on devices. In doing so, Google killed the incentive for them to embrace any competing product. Google was said to have abused its dominant market position in multiple ways, one of which involved tying its search engine to its own web browser.

The third and final point of contention was that Google restricted manufacturers from selling phones that ran Android forks. Interestingly, Google forcibly stopped manufacturers from selling devices that ran Fire OS, an Android fork developed by Amazon. In the commission’s view, this amounted to unfair business obstruction.

Setting a Google-sized precedent

This is not the first setback for Google. In November last year, an EU court upheld another fine of over $2 billion for unfairly favoring its own comparison shopping service. In 2019, the company was ordered to pay nearly $1.6 billion for choking its ad business rivals.

A close-up shot of the Google Pixel 6a, focused on the phone's Google logo.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

The expensive legal defeat handed to Google will definitely boost the regulatory morale as similar antitrust battles against the likes of Apple, Amazon, and Meta are already in motion. Google has, of course, expressed disappointment over the decision, but the court’s strict stance sends a clear message as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is poised to rein in the power of big tech in Europe.

Apple isn’t in the safe zone either. The company’s gatekeeper status and the taxation policy for accessing its walled ecosystem is currently a topic of investigation in Europe. Meta is facing heat over lax privacy measures and alleged shady data handling, while Amazon has courted scrutiny over abusive tactics to promote its business.

Editors' Recommendations

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started writing…
What is Google Assistant? Here’s the guide you need to get started
Using Google Assistant on the Google Pixel Watch.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is huge news right now, thanks to chatbots like ChatGPT -- but did you know you can already access an AI on your Android phone? Google Assistant is Google's AI-powered voice assistant, and it's available on Android, iOS, and a large number of smart devices (like Google's Nest speakers). While not as capable as ChatGPT (yet), Google Assistant can handle an impressive number of tasks — including pausing and resuming songs and videos, making tasks and reminders, and in some cases, even taking and screening phone calls for you.

That may seem like a lot, but Google Assistant is relatively simple to use. If you've never used a voice assistant before, we've got this guide to help you get to grips with it and take your first steps.
What is Google Assistant?

Read more
Your Google One plan just got 2 big security updates to keep you safe online
Two Google Pixel 7 Pro smartphones.

Google just added some major new security features to keep its Google One subscribers safe while on the web. After all, the internet is where you spend a lot of your time, whether that's looking things up, paying bills, shopping, booking appointments, or sharing photos with family and friends. That’s a lot of information, and Google wants to keep subscribers safe from the darker side of the web.

Regardless of whether you use an iPhone or an Android smartphone, all Google One subscribers are getting the following two security features.
VPN by Google One for everyone

Read more
Google I/O 2023 is happening on May 10 with an in-person event

It's that time of year once again. The days are getting longer, the gray skies of winter are slowly fading away, and it's almost time for another Google I/O. While it's a given that we have a new I/O each year, Google always puts on a little show when announcing the date for the next one. And now, we officially know when Google I/O 2023 will take place.

The opening keynote for this year's I/O is taking place at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. In its email confirming the time and date, Google says, "Join a select audience to learn about Google’s latest innovations and developer solutions that help you work smarter and improve productivity." The opening keynote for I/O 2023 — where most of the big news and announcements are revealed — kicks off at 10 a.m. PT on May 10.

Read more