Google Sued Australian Regulators For Anti-Competition Practices

Google was sued for a Google Search deal (photo: dock. Google)

JAKARTA Google was sued by Australian regulators for the Google Search agreement with telecommunications companies Telstra and Optus. The agreement is considered anti-competitive.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) considers the deal a form of monopoly. Google deliberately takes advantage of its position as a leading technology company to limit consumers' choices.

In the lawsuit, the ACCC focuses on a Google agreement requiring the search engine to be installed as the only search software on Telstra and Optus mobile phones. These restrictions are considered detrimental to competitors and consumers.

This agreement comes between December 2019 and March 2021. According to the ACCC, according to Reuters, the agreement prohibits Telstra and Optus from offering other search engines. Instead, the two companies received a share of Google's advertising revenue.

This revenue comes from advertisements that appear when users search on their Android phones. The ACCC states that this is part of Google's efforts to dominate the market.

After the case was brought to justice, Google agreed to cooperate in this investigation. Google acknowledged its responsibility for the matter and both sides agreed to pay a joint fine to the Federal Court.

The agreed fine amount is USD 55 million (IDR 580 billion). In addition to agreeing to pay fines, Google Asia Pacific and its parent company, Google LLC, also pledged to remove pre-installation restrictions and setting up certain default search engines.

"Today's results create the potential for millions of Australians to have a wider search option in the future," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said. "This also provides opportunities for competing search providers to gain meaningful exposure to Australian consumers.