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European Commission Fines Google $5 Billion

European Commission Fines Google $5 Billion


Google has been ordered by the European Commission on July 18th to pay €4.34 billion ($5 billion) for pushing its applications on smartphones and blocking competitors. The Commission have said that Google broke the law by forcing manufacturers to install Chrome and Google Search on Android devices as a condition for licensing Google’s Play Store.

According to the report, Google paid many smartphone manufacturers and network operators to install Google applications on the devices before they were sold, and also prevented manufacturers from selling smartphones that ran on different versions of the Android OS. Margrethe Vestager said “Google has used Android as a vehicle to cement the dominance of its search engine.

Approximately 80 percent of smartphones in the world run on Android, however Google has said it will appeal the decision.

“Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation and lower prices are the classic hallmarks of robust competition,” Google said in a statement.