Google divides the European monopoly laws by preferring to search for shopping, hotels and air flights on competing comparison providers, according to the European Commission. European Union She declared in her initial ruling today The parent company of Google, Alphabet, has also violated the rules of anticipation against the Digital Markets Law (DMA) by preventing application developers in its store from the guidance customers to other distribution channels.
Google can challenge the initial fees or make additional changes in compliance before the European Union’s final ruling. The European Union can reach 10 percent of its global annual revenues for DMA violations, which will be a maximum of $ 35 billion on the basis 350 billion dollars got an alphabet in 2024.
“In the first case, our initial view is that the alphabet violates the digital market law by preferring its own products on the Google Results Results page, which means that suppliers and competitors do not benefit from the practices of the fair arrangement,” says the European CEO of the European CEO for a fair transition and competition in a statement.
Google believes that the changes that Europe pay in the research are “misleading”, written by Oliver Bethel, the chief competition director in Google, in A. Blog post. Bethel warns, for example, if Google “warns.Travel results cannot be shown Which takes people directly to the airlines sites, usually end up A more expensive ticket Because airlines should pay commissions to intermediate web sites. He also says that the changes led to a decrease in traffic up to 30 percent for some companies.
“Alphabet does not effectively allow Android users to be informed or directed to cheaper offers of app developers outside the Google Play store.”
When it comes to Google’s mobile applications store, the European Union believes that “the alphabet does not effectively allow the users of Android phone to be informed about the cheaper offers of application developers outside the Google Play Store,” says Ribra.
Bethael says that the committee’s results on the application “create a wrong option between openness and safety.” The government “is actually forced us to choose between a closed model” – more similar to IOS from Apple, which requires reviewing applications before distribution – “and with” unsafe “, as Google is forced to give users access to” anger or malicious links that take our users outside A safe play environment“
“Both practitioners negatively affect many European and non -European companies that depend on Google or Google Play to reach its users in the European Union. It ensures that the alphabet is perfectly compatible with DMA is the key to business and innovation of job opportunities in favor of its digital services,” says EVP.
The advertisement comes yet The European Union has opened an investigation into Google Research On March 25 regarding concerns that it is dealing with its own services in classifying the research more than the services provided by the third-party competitors-which is what the European Union fined 2.4 billion euros (at a value of about $ 2.5 billion today) To do it with Google Shopping in 2017. Apple was the first company to be imposed under DMA In June 2024, shortly after, He was injured dead by a preliminary ruling His advertising model violates the verb.
“Ensure that Alphabet is fully compatible with DMA is the key to ensuring job and innovation for all digital service providers.”
Google was Make many changes To search services in an attempt to comply with the new DMA rules. This included the addition of new plannings to the search results, which strengthened the links to the comparison sites between the third party and the removal of the Google user interface to the European Union search users. She even tested a return to classic 10 blue links.
DMA targets the specific “gates guards” – companies that provide basic digital services to European consumers – they require them to allow more inter -employment and avoid providing preferential transaction for their digital services. The alphabet was appointed as a gatekeeper in September 2023, with Compliance deadline on March 6, 2024.
The ruling follows the increasing tensions between European policy makers and US President Donald Trump, who He surrounded himself with American technology executives have won Those who have Fines for which the European Union criticized As a form of taxes. the Financial times It was mentioned in January It claims that increased pressure in the United States was leading the European Union to alleviate its approach to organizing large technology and reassessing its investigations into Apple, Meta and Google.
