India fined Google $161 million

The Competition Commission of India has fined Google 13 billion rupees ($161 million) for violating competition rules.

The BBC writes about it.

The regulator has accused the tech giant of making "one-sided deals" with smartphone makers to ensure its apps dominate. The commission stated Google was "abusing" the licensing of its Android operating system.

Officials insist that Google forces gadget makers to default to a suite of its apps, such as Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Maps and others. The commissionʼs statement also emphasized that such practices stifle competition and give Google unlimited access to user data and profitable advertising opportunities.

Google is currently facing a series of antitrust cases in India, and local authorities are also scrutinizing the companyʼs behavior in the smart TV market and its in-app payment system. The Android-related investigation was launched in 2019 after complaints from smartphone consumers. The case is similar to the one Google faced in Europe, where the company was eventually fined $5 billion.

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