The European Commission has fined Google a total of 890 million euros (about $1 billion) after concluding that the company violated the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The penalties include 460 million euros for Google’s search business and 430 million euros for rules governing its Google Play app store.
According to the Commission, Google unfairly favored its own services in Google Search, including shopping, hotels, transportation, and sports results, giving them greater visibility than competing third-party services. Regulators said this practice limited fair competition and breached the company’s obligations under the DMA.
Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said Google failed to effectively comply with the new digital competition rules. She added that products should succeed because they offer better quality, not because they belong to the company operating the search engine.
The Commission also found that Google restricted app developers using Google Play by preventing them from freely informing users about alternative purchasing options outside the Play Store. Under the DMA, developers must be allowed to promote cheaper offers through their own websites or other app stores without facing restrictions.
EU regulators said Google’s policies stopped developers from communicating with users and completing purchases through third-party distribution channels, limiting competition in the app ecosystem.
Google has been given 60 days to comply with the Commission’s orders. The company must ensure that third-party services receive fair treatment in Google Search and allow app developers to freely promote and sell their apps through channels outside Google Play. If Google fails to meet these requirements, it could face additional periodic penalties of up to 5% of its total worldwide annual turnover.
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