Brussels fined Google 4,343 million euros, the largest in its history

.Brussels has today imposed the highest fine of its history. European competition authorities have condemned 4,343 million euros ($ 5,047 million) to Google for abuse of dominant position in the mobile sector with its Android operating system, which holds a share of 80% market The fine is much higher than the sanction of 2,424 million euros that the Commission imposed on Google a year ago, a record at the time in the world. history of the institution, due to another abuse of the domain of its search engine. "Since 2011, Google has imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile operators to consolidate their dominant position in the research sector," states the Competition Commission in its resolution report. Brussels requires Google to end these practices within a maximum of 90 days. Failing that, you will have to pay up to 5% of the daily business amount of Alphabet, Google's parent company.

The Commission's investigation against Google on Android It began in April 2015 and was finalized with a state of the charges a year later, in which the department headed by Margrethe Vestager formally accused the US company of seek the de facto monopoly of its mobile operating system to illegally promote its applications and services. For the commission, Alphabet requires manufacturers who use their operating system to pre-install business applications such as the Google search engine, the Google Chorme Internet browser or Google Maps.

The penalty represents just over two weeks of Alphabet income, Reuters said, and is a minutia for a company with $ 102.9 billion in cash. The biggest impact, however, is the one that he badumes in his business model. The company offers Android and these applications for free, but it gets revenue from advertising badociated with its use, a business model that badysts say generates advertising revenue of around 10,000 million euros (11,600 millions of dollars).

Alphabet He based his defense by insisting that agreements with manufacturers to use Android and pre-install their apps are voluntary, and brands and consumers are free to uninstall Google and Google tools. to download others.

Magrethe Vestager of the competition, has on the table another charge against Google for abuse of dominance. Two years ago, the Commission sent a statement of objections to the American company for practices contrary to free competition in the online advertising market on the websites of third parties.