Google Fined again by EU for Android Antitrust Abuse

Google, last year, was fined with a record-breaking $2.7 billion for manipulating the search results, by European Union (EU). But this time EU has accused the tech giant of violating the Android Antitrust laws and once again penalizes it for a whopping $5 billion, while the appeal for the previous accusation is still pending. The EU has framed the Android maker of breaking laws in three key areas: Google bundling search engine and Chrome apps into the OS; Google made ‘huge’ payments to a few mobile operators and device makers to infuse its search engine into their handsets; Google prevented phone makers from using forked versions of Android.

The Commission has warned Google to act within 90 days of the decision, and it says that “Google did not provide any credible evidence that Android forks would be affected by technical failures or fail to support apps.” Google, however, has decided to appeal the decision and reprimands telling, “Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation, and lower prices are classic hallmarks of robust competition… We will appeal the Commission’s decision.” It forewarns EU saying that the Commission’s decision can affect the free model of Android in the future.

Google is not alone; Facebook, Intel, Microsoft and many other big tech companies and software manufacturers have faced allegations and fines from the EU Commission. The EU’s decision, when actioned, will allow device manufacturers to design the Android OS the way they want it.