Home
Apps
Apps News
Google Foe Open Internet Project Takes Android Complaint to EU Regulators

Google Foe Open Internet Project Takes Android Complaint to EU Regulators

By Reuters | Updated: 8 March 2017 09:56 IST

Highlights

OIP lodged a complaint with the European Commission three years ago
The group urged the EU competition authority to take action
Google has said Android boosts rather than hurts competition

Open Internet Project, whose members include Axel Springer and Getty Images, on Tuesday accused Alphabet unit Google of imposing anti-competitive curbs on Android smartphone makers, its second complaint against the US tech giant.

The group, which lodged a complaint about Google's comparison shopping service with the European Commission about three years ago, urged the EU competition authority to take action.

"Google once again, in breach of EU antitrust rules, abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators, aiming to preserve and strengthen its dominance in general Internet search," OIP said in a statement.

Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said the regulator would assess the complaint. Google has said Android boosts rather than hurts competition.

The world's most popular Internet search engine has been in the EU crosshairs since April 2016, accused of using its dominant Android mobile operating system to squeeze out rivals.

Regulators said such tactics include requiring smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser to get access to other Google apps.

The stakes are high for Google, which makes billions from advertising sales on Android phones through its apps such as Maps, Search and Gmail. It faces a fine up to 10 percent of its global turnover and an order to end anti-competitive practices if found guilty of breaching EU rules.

© Thomson Reuters 2017

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.