Two Google Services Accused Of Violating The Antitrust Law In Europe

Google is accused of violating DMA (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA The European Commission announced that Google had failed to comply with the Digital Market Act (DMA). This failure can be seen in two of its services, namely Google Search and Play Store.

In a published decree, the European Commission stated that Google treats some of the Google Search features better than its competing services. In fact, this action should not be taken by companies that become GTeekeepers.

"Gateeeper should not provide their own services that are better ranked than similar services from third parties. These rankings must be carried out in a transparent, fair and non-discriminatory manner," the European Commission said.

Antitrust violations are clearly seen because Google Search displays better search results in terms of shopping, ordering hotels, transportation, financial results, and sports compared to similar services from third parties.

In addition, Google makes its services more prominent than its competitors. For example, Google makes search results more prominent by placing its features at the top or in a special room with perfect visual format.

These two actions are considered to violate DMA provisions. In addition, the European Commission stated that Google has prevented app developers from directing their consumers to other channels and providing harmful policies on the Google Play Store.

According to the European Commission, Google charges a high fee to developers for a very long period of time. This fee is imposed every time consumers buy goods or do digital services, when Google shouldn't charge developers.

"Google Play should be able to, free of charge, notify customers of a cheaper alternative possibility, direct them to the offer, and allow them to make purchases," the European Commission said.

With this decision, Google was encouraged to make many changes to the Google Search and Play Store. Of course, the tech giant objected. In fact, Google stated that the European Commission's decision could harm businesses and consumers.

Google explained that the search results on its search engine actually make it easier for users, not making it difficult. Meanwhile, the findings of the European Commission on Google Play are also called wrong because they can increase the risk of exposure to malware and fraud.

"Jika kami tidak dapat melindungi pengguna kami dari linkan penipuan atau berbahaya yang membawa pengguna kami keluar dari lingkungan Play yang aman, maka Komisi secara efektif memaksa kami untuk memilih antara model tertutup dan model yang tidak aman," ungkap Google.

The company also denies giving app developers an unreasonable fee on Android or Play Store. According to him, the costs incurred are in accordance with what they give their users

"If we can't charge a fair fee to support the development of Android and Play services we offer, then we can't invest in an open platform that supports billions of mobile phones around the world," Google said.