Google fined $1bn for violating online competition laws—EU

The European Union has fined Google €890 million ($1 billion) for breaching rules designed to promote competition in digital services.

European commisioner in charge of tech sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen, in a statement on Thursday, said Google failed to comply with the Digital Markets Act by promoting its own services, including shopping and transport, on Google Search over those of competitors and by restricting the way app developers sell to customers.

Ms Virkkunen noted that the popular tech company was fined €460 million ($524.7 million) and €430 million ($490 million) respectively, for the two separate infractions.

“We found that Google harms businesses offering similar services, such as shopping or sports, by not granting them the same level of prominence on Google Search.

“We also found that Google has restricted app developers from offering cheaper offers to customers in the Google Play app store,” she added. The development came days after the EU issued two new rules for Google to force it to share search data and open up its Android operating system to rival AI companies.

The Union, in its attempt to limit big tech companies’ deep control of the digital economy, vowed to support innovation and diversity in the field by enabling fair access to AI features on Android devices and search engines.

“Thanks to these measures, we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services,” Ms Virkkunen stated.