EU fines Google €890 million over alleged search market abuse

Brussels (Web Desk): The European Union has imposed a hefty €890 million ($1 billion) fine on Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the online search market to unfairly disadvantage rival companies.

In a statement, the European Commission said Google had illegally used its market dominance in search services to suppress competition and give preferential treatment to its own products.

According to the Commission, Google unfairly promoted its own services—including shopping, travel, gaming and other offerings—by placing them prominently in search results while pushing competing services lower in rankings.

The Commission said such practices violate the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires major technology companies to treat their own services and those of competitors fairly, transparently and without discrimination.

The EU regulator also accused Google of preventing app developers from informing users about alternative payment methods outside the Google Play Store, a practice that could reduce the company's commission fees. The Commission said this conduct also breaches the Digital Markets Act, which aims to prevent large technology firms from abusing their market power.

Under the ruling, Google has been given 60 days to comply with the Commission's decision. Failure to do so could result in additional financial penalties.

The move is expected to further increase trade tensions between the European Union and the United States, as the Trump administration has previously warned of possible retaliatory measures, describing the EU's actions against American technology firms as unfair.

Responding to the decision, Google said the ruling would ultimately harm European consumers.

This is not the first time the European Union has taken antitrust action against the company.

In 2018, the EU imposed a $4.7 billion fine on Google over anti-competitive practices related to its Android mobile operating system. The company's final appeal against that decision was later rejected.

Earlier, in 2017, Google was fined $2.8 billion for abusing its dominance in online search by favouring its own shopping comparison service. Its final appeal in that case was also rejected in 2024.