EU Fines Google €890 Million for Digital Markets Act Violations
6 verified5 unconfirmed
The European Commission has imposed a fine of €890 million on Google for two separate violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The first violation involves giving preferential treatment to Google’s own services, such as shopping and hotel deals, in search results. The second violation relates to Play Store rules that prevented app developers from steering consumers to alternative, potentially cheaper payment options. The commission has ordered Google to treat third-party search results fairly and to allow developers to promote offers outside the Play Store. Both sources report that Google has already tested changes to its search results and app store policies, which the EU described as progress toward compliance. The fine follows two prior DMA penalties against Apple and Meta last year.
What’s verified
The European Union fined Google’s parent company Alphabet €890 million under the Digital Markets Act.
A €460 million penalty was issued for giving Google’s own shopping, hotel, and flight services preferential placement in search results.
A €430 million penalty was issued for Play Store rules that blocked Android developers from directing users to alternative payment systems.
The European Commission has ordered Google to treat third-party services “in a fair and non-discriminatory manner” in search results and to allow developers to freely promote offers outside the Play Store.
Google has made and tested changes to its search services and Play Store policies in an effort to comply, and the Commission said those changes represent progress toward compliance.
Google’s parent company Alphabet reported annual revenue of roughly $400 billion.
Not yet confirmed
It is unclear what specific timeline Google has to implement the required policy changes. One source mentions a 60-day deadline for compliance, while the other does not specify a deadline.
One source reports that Google can appeal the decision, while the other does not mention an appeal option.
One source notes the risk of angering U.S. President Donald Trump given the timing of the fine, while the other source does not address this.
One source references Google’s previous €2.42 billion fine in 2017 for a similar antitrust breach, while the other does not mention it.
Several statements from company officials and EU representatives appear only in one source each.
Key figures
European Commission – executive body of the EU that imposed the fine
Kent Walker – President of Global Affairs, Google (quoted in one source)
Teresa Ribera – European Commission Executive Vice-President for clean, just and competitive transition (quoted in one source)
Max von Thun – Director of the Open Markets Institute Europe (quoted in one source)
Sources: The Guardian, The Verge
