The European Commission has adopted two non-compliance decisions against Google under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), imposing two fines totalling 890 million euros: 460 million euros for favouring its own services in Google Search results and 430 million euros for imposing restrictions on app developers on Google Play that prevented them from directing users to alternative, often cheaper, purchasing channels. Mountain View has 60 days to comply with the EU executive's decisions, otherwise it risks periodic penalties of up to 5% of its total global turnover.
According to the Commission, Google violated the DMA by giving greater visibility to its own services — including shopping, hotels, transport and sport — compared to those of competitors in search engine results. Brussels also challenges the restrictions imposed by the company on app developers preventing them from freely communicating and promoting their offers and from concluding contracts with users through distribution channels of their choice, including third-party app stores. "Although Google may charge a commission for having facilitated an app developer's initial acquisition of a new customer through Google Play, the level of the steering-related commissions charged by Google and the duration of the period during which such commissions are charged exceeded the limits considered compliant with the DMA," the Commission noted.
Google is required to put an end to the identified violations.
In particular, it must ensure fair and non-discriminatory treatment of competitors' services compared to its own in search engine results. The tech giant must also allow app developers that distribute their apps through the Google Play Store to promote offers and conclude contracts with users outside the Google Play Store as well. The Commission also highlights some progress made by the company in the way its free services are presented on Google Search, as well as shopping ads and content-related services such as sport, changes that Brussels will continue to monitor under the DMA. The Commission further takes note of Google's proposals on how it intends to apply the principles of the decision to AI Overviews and AI Mode. Today's decisions bring to a close the investigation opened on 25 March 2024 and may be appealed by Google.
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