European Commission fines Google €890 million for DMA violations
The European Commission has imposed a record €890 million fine on Google for breaching the Digital Markets Act. The penalty is split into a €460 million fine for self‑preferencing in Google Search and a €430 million fine for restricting app‑developer freedom on Google Play. The Commission said Google gave preferential treatment to its own services—such as shopping, hotels, travel and sports results—while pushing competing services lower in the rankings.
Google has been ordered to bring its search and app‑store practices into compliance within 60 days, or it could face additional penalties of up to 5 % of its worldwide revenue. The fine, roughly $1 billion, adds to a series of EU sanctions that have already totalled more than €10 billion since 2017. Google’s general counsel Kent Walker warned the decision would degrade products for European users, while European Commission Vice‑President Teresa Ribera said the best products should succeed because they are better, not because they belong to the search‑engine operator. The Digital Markets Act, adopted in 2022, aims to curb such gatekeeper abuse across the EU.
Entities: Digital Markets Act · European Commission · Google (Alphabet Inc.) · Kent Walker · Teresa Ribera
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 10 SOURCES] The Digital Markets Act, adopted in 2022, aims to prevent gatekeeper platforms from abusing their dominant positions. (Background information in multiple articles)
- [● 14 SOURCES] The European Commission fined Google a total of €890 million for violating the Digital Markets Act. (All listed articles reporting the fine)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Google’s general counsel Kent Walker said the decision would degrade products for European users. (Direct quotations from Kent Walker in multiple articles)
- [● 9 SOURCES] The fine is split into €460 million for self‑preferencing in Google Search and €430 million for restricting app developers on Google Play. (Articles detailing the breakdown of the penalty)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The €890 million fine is roughly equivalent to $1 billion. (Articles converting the fine to U.S. dollars)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Google must comply with the Commission’s orders within 60 days or face additional penalties of up to 5 % of its worldwide revenue. (Articles mentioning the compliance deadline and extra penalties)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] European Commission Vice‑President Teresa Ribera said the best products should succeed because they are better, not because they belong to the search‑engine operator. (Quotation from Teresa Ribera)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Google has been fined more than €10 billion by EU regulators since 2017. (Articles referencing the cumulative amount of past EU fines)