Overview
- The European Commission fined Google €890 million on Thursday for breaching the Digital Markets Act and ordered specific fixes to how its Search ranks rival services and how Google Play lets developers communicate offers.
- The penalties are split into a €460 million fine for Search self‑preferencing and a €430 million fine for restricting developers on Google Play from steering users to cheaper deals.
- The Commission said Google has started testing proposed changes and must fully comply within 60 days or face further proceedings that could impose daily penalties of up to 5 percent of Alphabet’s daily worldwide turnover.
- Google rejected the findings and warned the remedies would remove real‑time Search features and weaken Play protections, while Brussels says talks will continue about how the DMA applies to Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- The decision is the first DMA penalty for Google, follows years of EU antitrust action against the company, and could affect app developers, consumers, and U.S.‑EU trade relations if Washington responds with tariffs.