Google was ordered by the European Commission on Wednesday to pay €4.34 billion ($5 billion) for unfairly pushing its apps on smartphone users and thwarting competitors.
Margrethe Vestager, Europe's top antitrust official, said in a statement: "Google has used Android as a vehicle to cement the dominance of its search engine." She added "They have denied European consumers the benefits of effective competition in the important mobile sphere."
The Commission said that Google broke the law by requiring manufacturers to install its Google Search and Chrome apps as a condition for licensing Google's app store.
Europe hits #Google with a record $5 billion fine
Updated July 18, 2018 ● 289 views
Google was ordered by the European Commission on Wednesday to pay €4.34 billion ($5 billion) for unfairly pushing its apps on smartphone users and thwarting competitors.
Margrethe Vestager, Europe's top antitrust official, said in a statement: "Google has used Android as a vehicle to cement the dominance of its search engine." She added "They have denied European consumers the benefits of effective competition in the important mobile sphere."
The Commission said that Google broke the law by requiring manufacturers to install its Google Search and Chrome apps as a condition for licensing Google's app store.