The European Commission fined Google $1 billion for anti-competitive practices. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
July 23 (UPI) -- The European Commission on Thursday fined Google more than $1 billion for violating the Digital Markets Act in its use of gate-keeping in its search engine and on Google Play.
The Commission found that Google favors its own products in search results, suggesting tools like shopping, hotels, transportation and sports results over those of third parties. It also accused Google of not allowing app developers to communicate with customers or allow them to inform customers of alternative, often cheaper, offers and to direct them to those offers to make purchases, for example on websites or alternative app stores. It also displayed its own products higher up in Google Play searches than competitors.
"The best products should succeed because they're better, not because they're owned by the company running the search engine," Teresa Ribera, the executive vice president of the European Commission overseeing competition policy, said in a statement Thursday. "This is the promise of the DMA, protecting fairness, choice and innovation in digital markets for the benefit of all European citizens."
