May 16,2016:Last month, the European Commission issued Google with formal anti-trust charges over Android. Now, it appears that the company could face new fines over skewing search results.
The Telegraph reports that the charges, which are yet to be finalized, would be the result of “a seven-year investigation of company’s dominant search engine.†It’s not clear exactly what form the charges may take, but sources tell the newspaper that the Commission plans to make an announcement about in the next couple of months, before its summer break.
The newspaper explains that the charges the Commission is to level at Google that could add up to an incredibly high fine. Sources tells the newspaper that the maximum fine facing Google could total almost $7 billion—a tenth of the company’s annual sales—but are more likely to be in the region of $3 billion. For a little context, the previous highest fine was issued to Intel for $1.25 billion.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Google’s search has come under the scrutiny of the Commission. Last year, Google was charged with prioritizing results from the shopping sites it owns over its competitors. And earlier this year, it received charges that claiming that it “abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators.â€
The European Commission is certainly throwing an awful lot of charges at Google. We’ll have to wait and see if any of them stick.
