Google holds the monopoly as the primary gateway to the internet. “Search” is a key tool that millions of people use daily. However, it has faced criticism for unfair tactics to promote its product. And now, Google is facing a whopping $36 million fine for its anti-competitive agreements.
Australian commission hits Google with a whopping $36 million fine
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had initiated a legal proceeding in the Australian Federal Court against the tech giant. The commission alleges that Google reached anti-competitive agreements with carriers.
As per the commission, Google had reportedly paid money to two of the largest telecos of the country to pre-install its search engine on Android smartphones to avoid rival search engines. Therefore, breaking the laws of the fair market and the competition.
Google agrees to pay the fine for being anti-competitive
The commission has proposed a fine of a whopping AU$55 million, The commission has proposed a fine of a whopping AU$55 million, or US$36 million. The court will later decide whether the penalty proposed is appropriate or not. However, Google has now accepted to pay the fine and has accepted that the agreements were being anti-competitive in behavior.
Google has further signed a court-enforceable undertaking. It is to remove certain pre-installation and default restrictions on search engines from its agreement with Android phone manufacturers and smartphone carriers. It adds in the statement, “We’re pleased to resolve the ACCC’s concerns. Which involved provisions that haven’t been in our commercial agreements for some time.”
Responding to the matter, the Commissioner chair, Gina-Cass Gottlieb, adds that “Conduct that restricts competition is illegal in Australia because it usually means less choice, higher costs or worse service for consumers. And importantly, these changes come at a time when AI search tools are revolutionising how we search for information, creating new competition.”
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Source: ndroidheadlines.com