Google Search and the App Store’s Marketplace are suspected of violating the European Union Digital Markets Act (DMA), by preliminary findings announced Wednesday by EU Committee Committees on the market for disputes, which have been investigating the company for months.
DMA applies to a handful of technological giants, the alphabet (google parent) is included. The aspects of Google’s business have been investigated by the EU since March 2024, shortly after the entry into force of the regime.
Confirmed DMA violations can attract sanctions of up to 10% of the world’s annual turnover, so bets are high for Google. However, it is important to note that the EU has not come to a final conclusion about this researcher.
EU preliminary findings on Google are twice as much: one is related to Google search, where Commission inspectors believe Google violates DMA’s requirement not to deal with its own services favorable to opponents-DMA bans.
“The alphabet faces its own services such as purchases, hotel booking, transport or financial and athletic results. Favorable to Google Search Results from similar services offered by third parties,” the EU wrote in one press release.
“More specifically, the alphabet gives its own services more prominent treatment compared to others, showing them at the top of Google search results or in special places, with improved visual forms and filtering mechanisms.”
The second finding is the purchase of Google mobile apps, the Play Store, where the EU suspects that Google is violating DMA, preventing applications from direct consumers to other Google -controlled channels for better offers.
“The alphabet technically impedes certain aspects of the steering wheel, for example, preventing applications from directing customers to offers and distribution channels of their choice,” the committee wrote.
“While the alphabet can receive a fee to facilitate the initial acquisition of a new customer by an app programmer through Google Play, charges charged by the alphabet exceed what is justified.
The EU has previously targeted Apple on the unfair rules of address, imposing a 1.84 billion giant iPhone giant a year ago after a long -term investigation of competition to buy music in the iOS preceding DMA.
He also gave preliminary findings against Apple’s App Store for violations of DMA provisions last summer, so the findings related to Google’s business follow other DMA enforcement actions against other technological giants. However, in all cases, the EU has not yet made final decisions.
While Google has made a series of changes in the way the search engine operates and the Play Store in the EU in response to the DMA in force, the Commission does not believe that they have gone far enough.
Affiliate and search and searching sites competing with Google were particularly vocal in complaining that the company’s changes amounted to an attempt to bypass the DMA prohibition for self-promotion by the search giant. They said that Google is planning new ways to use its dominance in search to compete unjustly their offers.
Commenting on the EU’s preliminary findings in a statement, Teresa Ribera, the EVP Commission responsible for competition issues, said: “The two preliminary findings we adopt today aim to ensure that the alphabet will follow the EU rules when it comes to the EU and the EU rules. Android phones.
“In the first case, our preliminary view is that the alphabet violates the act of digital markets, favoring its own products on the Google search results page, which means that suppliers and competitors do not benefit from Google’s practices.
“Let me be clear: Our main focus is to create a culture of compliance with the Law on Digital Markets,” Ribera added. “Non -compliance processes are intended for situations where dialogue efforts were not successful, but, as always, we apply our laws by law and non -discriminatory and respect the rights of the parties.”
We contacted Google to ask if it will make any changes to the way its EU business operates after the Commission’s findings. A company spokesman did not participate in our question. Showed instead blog It was released to coincide with the EU’s announcement of preliminary findings.
In the publication on the blog, the company claims that the changes forced by the EU will harm consumers and businesses and the “obstruction of innovation” as it puts it.
“The Commission’s conclusions demand that we make even more changes in the way we present certain types of search results, which would make people more difficult for people to find what they are looking for and reduce circulation in European businesses,” said Oliver Bethell, senior competition manager of Google.
Bethell also warned that EU inspectors are pushing changes to the Google Play Store that will expose Europeans to “malicious software and fraud from bad applications”.
“[I]F we cannot protect our users from scammy or malicious connections that take our users out of safe play environmentThen the Commission forces us to choose between a closed model and a unsafe, “Bethell argues.
“Similarly, if we cannot charge reasonable fees to support the continued development of Android and the game services we offer, then we cannot invest in an open platform that dominates billions of phones around the world, helping not only those who can spend 1000 euros.”
“We will continue to deal with the committee and comply with its rules, but today’s findings are now increasing the risk of an even worse experience for Europeans,” Bethell added.
As for what happens next, Google will have the opportunity to analyze the EU’s findings in detail and formulate an answer. Therefore, the outcome of the research remains for debate-a non-compliance decision (and a large fine) are opportunities if the EU concludes that it confirms its preliminary view that the technological giant does not comply with the rules. Similarly, the Commission could be influenced by the material that Google puts in its defense.
Or, indeed, by the political pressure exerted on the rule of law in Europe by the Atlantic.
