The European Commission fined Google €890 million for violating the Digital Markets Act

The European Commission has fined Google €890 million for violating the Digital Markets Act. The company was found guilty of two violations: favoring its own services in Google search and restricting app developers on Google Play.

This is stated in a statement on the European Commission website dated July 23.

They claim that Google promoted its own services — shopping, hotels, transportation, and sports scores — above similar offerings from competitors in search results. In particular, the companyʼs services received more prominent placement, additional visual elements, and filters that third-party platforms did not have. For this, Google was fined €460 million.

Separately, the company received a €430 million fine due to Google Play rules that prevented developers from freely informing users about alternative, often cheaper, ways to purchase subscriptions or content outside the app store.

The European Commission has ordered Google to remedy the infringement within 60 days. If the company fails to do so, it faces additional fines of up to 5% of its global turnover. Google can still appeal the European Commissionʼs decision in court.

• The Digital Markets Act entered into force in November 2022 and began to be applied in May 2023. Its goal is to curb the dominant influence of large companies in the market and create conditions that will make it easier for new platforms to enter it.
• The DMA can be seen as antitrust legislation aimed primarily at the five leading American internet services, known as Big Tech (Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft Corporation), which hold dominant positions. In March 2024, the EC opened an investigation against Apple, Meta and Google for alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act.

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