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Brussels .- The European Commission (EC) today fined Google $ 4.343 million for using its Android operating system to strengthen the position of its search engine, the biggest penalty for non-compliance with competition rules never imposed by Brussels.
"Google used Android as a way to consolidate the dominance of its search engine.These practices deprived their rivals of the opportunity to innovate and compete on their merits.They refused to consumers the benefits of effective competition, 'said EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager.
The Commission's investigation, which began in April 2015 and took a year to accuse Google of abuse of dominance, concluded that the restrictions imposed by the US giant on phone manufacturers and operators of networks vis-à-vis Android is an illegal practice in accordance with European standards.
In particular, Brussels alleges that Google has asked the manufacturers that they have pre-installed their search services (Google Search) and their browser (Chrome) as a condition to grant them the license to use their store. 39; applications (Play Store).
In addition, they made certain payments to major manufacturers and operators of mobile networks. condition that they exclusively installed their search engine, while preventing them from selling smartphones that had alternative versions of Android n or approved by Google.
The goal was to steer the traffic of Android devices to their search engine and thus strengthen their domain position, in a context where 'the mobile Internet accounts for more than half of the global traffic ". Vestager.
Brussels pointed out that 80% of smartphones in Europe and around the world use Android, the system developed by Google, which licenses use licenses.
Also in that Google dominates the general service market. Internet research in the European Economic Area, and worldwide (except China) for the licensing of operating systems for mobile phones and music stores. Android apps, with over 90% market share. 19659002] The Commission's decision obliges the US giant to "end its illegal conduct within 90 days" from the decision or, if not, to impose penalties of up to 5% of the figure. Everyday business of his parent company, Alphabet.
"At least Google must stop and not reoffend in any of these three types of practices (…) and refrain from any measure having a", said the EC, which leaves it up to the company to decide what specific measures apply.
Google has already announced that it would appeal the decision in court and said that "Android has created more than choice for all, not less ", since it's making available" 24,000 devices, of all types of price, from more than 1,300 different brands, with more than one million of them. " apps available "in its Play Store.
The fine announced today adds to the fine of 2424 million euros that the community executive imposed on the US giant in June 2017 for abuse. to power by promoting its shopping comparator in its search engine, which was up to now the most important sanction Vestager reminded that the fine is calculated according to the seriousness of the offense and of the company's business figure and that, if it is higher, it is because it is "a very serious illegal behavior", although considered "online" with those imposed by the EC for these practices.
The penalty may not be the last to the US company, because Brussels is also studying whether, with its AdSense advertising brokerage service, Google limits the ability for third-party websites to display search ads on its websites. competitors.
Moreover, the fine is the latest in a series of community sanctions against the American giants of technology. , like Apple and Amazon, and enters a context of tension between the United States and the EU because of the tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump government or its demands for a greater contribution to the United States. NATO
However, Vestager downplayed the possibility of Washington's retaliation against European companies and said that the United States "want fair competition as much as the EU."
"When we apply the rules of competition, we do it according to the political context because it would never be the right time," he said, to defend the fact that they will continue to do it.
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