Brussels imposes 890 million euro fine on Google for preferential treatment in search and Play Store

The executive authority of the European Union has fined tech giant Google 890 million euros, accusing it of violating provisions of the Digital Markets Act. At the heart of the investigation was the favoring of its own services on search result pages and the hindering of competition on the Google Play platform.

Brussels identified two separate breaches of the new digital legislation. For the first, the company has been assigned a payment of 460 million euros. According to the findings, Google gave more space and more prominent positioning in its own search engine to products such as Google Shopping, as well as hospitality, transport, and sports results services, leaving other providers at a disadvantage. The Commission argues that this lack of impartial treatment directly harms fair competition in the market.

The second violation, accompanied by a fine of 430 million euros, relates to the conditions imposed on the Google Play digital store. It is assessed that the American giant made it difficult for app developers to notify customers about more economical alternatives found beyond its platform or to redirect them to official websites and alternative app stores.

The European Commission has given the company a 60-day deadline to stop these practices and make the necessary adjustments. In the absence of compliance within this deadline, Google faces the risk of escalating periodic penalties, which could amount to up to 5% of its gross daily global revenue.

Additionally, the European side announced that the company has already begun experimenting with a series of reforms in the presentation of search responses and advertisements, as well as in Google Play policies. However, the effectiveness of these changes will be further analyzed to confirm whether they are sufficient to fully meet the legal obligations.