EU Fines Google $1B for Breaching Digital Markets Act
Synopsis
The European Commission fined Google €890 million (US$1 billion) for violating the Digital Markets Act over Google Search and Google Play practices. The EU said Google’s recent compliance efforts make further penalties unlikely
Key Highlights
- Google breaches the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and is fined €890 million (US$1 billion) by the European Commission.
- These fines are related to the violations of Google Search and Google Play policies.
- The European Union stated that Google has made substantial progress towards achieving compliance, which makes additional penalties unlikely.
Alphabet’s Google has been fined a total of €890 million (US$1 billion) by the European Commission for breaching its Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission claimed Google broke rules aimed at companies that dominate the market, such as Big Tech.
Two DMA Fines
Google has already been hit with a €460 million penalty for promoting its services in shopping, hotels, transport and sports in the results of Google Search.
The second fine of €430 million was imposed on Google for restricting app developers from directing users to cheaper deals in rival app stores or websites through its Google Play. Google has 60 days to comply with the orders of the Commission.
EU Sees Progress on Compliance
The Commission has said it had a constructive dialogue with Google and announced considerable steps forward in ensuring that companies conformity to the DMA.
It said Google has started testing modifications to how it displays its services in the search bar, shopping ads and content-related terms, and adjustment suggestions for Google Play steering terms. Google slammed the ruling and said it will likely appeal the Commission’s conclusions in court.
Source: Reuters
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