Brussels warns Google to fine for anti-competitive practices … – Public.en

The European Commission warned Google to stop forcing companies that install their services – such as search or the Chrome browser – in phones that they manufacture and informed the corporation that you want to "set a fine at a level which will be sufficient to ensure deterrence". The news was advanced this week by the Reuters news agency, which cited a document sent by the regulator to the company, but there is still no official confirmation.

The investigations of the European Commission for anti-competitive practices of Google last for years and cover various services from the company. In this case, it is the Android operating system, which runs on the vast majority of smartphones and tablets in the world, whose development is spearheaded by Google and that can be used by any manufacturer.

In April, the Commission had concluded that Google used the fact that the mobile phone manufacturers want to have pre-installed the application store of the multinational to force them to also install the search engine and the browser. The number and quality of applications available for mobile phones have been an important factor in the battle of the platforms which was opposed to the iOS, Apple, Android and also platforms that they ended up losing the race, as the Windows Phone, Microsoft, and the system of the BlackBerry.

According to the Commission’s investigation, the store of applications from Google is responsible for 90% of all application installations made by users of Android in the european economic area. Two years ago, a Portuguese company called Aptoide, which develops an app store alternative to Google, filed a complaint in the european commission, alleging that the multinational hindered the installation of this shop and he advised for it to be uninstalled by users.

The document now seen by Reuters indicates, according to the agency, that Google also pays for manufacturers to pre-install this exclusively search engine. The company has denied all the charges.

"The manufacturers of smartphones and tablets must, of course, be able to provide consumers an immediate experience through the sale of their handsets with a package of pre-installed applications," said Brussels in April. "The Commission seeks to ensure that manufacturers are free to choose what applications you want to pre-install on their devices. This is particularly important when the Commission’s analysis has shown that consumers rarely download apps that give the same functionality of an application already pre-installed".

The sanction to be applied by the european regulator, says Reuters, may take into account the revenue from the ads, of shopping in-store applications and advertising within the applications themselves.