Google Faces EU Monopoly Law Over Android Dominance
Google has been issued formal antitrust charges over claims that it abuses the dominant position of its Android operating system.
The European Commission (EC) sent a statement of objections to the tech firm, alleging that it has breached EU competition law. Google is accused of placing onerous requirements on firms using Android and stifling competition.
It said Android was "good for competition and good for consumers". Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president and general counsel, said: "Android has helped foster a remarkable and, importantly, sustainable ecosystem, based on open-source software and open innovation. We look forward to working with the European Commission."
The initial complaints from rivals were lodged with the commission in 2009. However, many of the companies that complained said, they had been adversely affected by Google's search algorithms for years beforehand. A formal investigation began in 2010.
The initial complaints were all about comparison shopping, looking for the best price for goods across different websites. The commission alleges that when people do a shopping search, the results they get back are weighted towards Google's services even if those results are not the most relevant.
Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the matter could set a precedent for the way it judged other complaints about Google. The watchdog said she was also considering investigating Google's conduct when people searched for hotels and flights, and got maps in their results.
The commission has also received complaints about how Google scrapes websites and uses the content it finds and on how it works with its advertising partners.
Ms. Vestager also announced her team had launched a separate investigation into Google's mobile operating system Android.
She said the commission was concerned that Google was abusing its dominance in the smartphone and tablet market to give its own services, such as search, more prominence.
