NEW DELHI, Oct 21: Google on Friday said the decision of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to fine it ₹ 1,338 crore for anti-competitive practices was a “major setback” for consumers and businesses in the country.
The CCI had said on Thursday that Google leveraged its dominant position in markets such as online search and app store for Android to protect the position of its apps like Chrome and YouTube in mobile web browsers and online video hosting.
Besides the fine, the CCI also ordered Google to change its approach to its Android platform and restricted it from certain revenue sharing agreements with smartphone makers.
“Android has created more choice for everyone, and supports thousands of successful businesses in India and around the world,” a Google spokesperson said on Friday. “The CCI’s decision is a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses, opening serious security risks for Indians who trust Android’s security features, and raising the cost of mobile devices for Indians.”
Google said it will review the decision to evaluate next steps. The CCI, in its statement, had said, “Markets should be allowed to compete on merits and the onus is on the dominant players (in the present case, Google) that its conduct does not impinge this competition on merits.”
The U.S. company is facing a series of antitrust cases and the tightening of existing tech-sector regulations in India. The competition watchdog is separately looking in to Google’s business conduct in the smart TV market and its in-app payments system.
The Android-related probe, started in 2019, was sparked by a complaint from two junior Indian antitrust research associates and a law school student. The Indian case is similar to one faced by Google in Europe, where regulators imposed a $5 billion fine on the company for forcing manufacturers to pre-install its apps on Android devices.
Google was ordered by India on Thursday not to restrict smartphone users from uninstalling its pre-installed apps like Google Maps and Gmail. CCI also asked Google to allow users to pick their search engine of choice for all relevant services while setting up a phone for the first time. Google’s Android operating system powers 97 per cent of India’s 600 million smartphones.
(Manas Dasgupta)
