news: EU fines Google €890M for Digital Markets Act violations
title: "EU hits Google with $1 billion fine over its Play app store and search"
url: "https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/eu-hits-google-1-billion-fine-play-app-135010885"
author: "SAM MCNEIL Associated Press"
The European Union has fined Google $1 billion for breaking digital antitrust regulations
BySAM MCNEIL Associated Press
July 23, 2026, 3:08 AM
BRUSSELS -- The European Union on Thursday hit Google with a fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion) after it said the technology behemoth broke digital antitrust regulations by setting up Google Play and its ubiquitous search engine to corral consumers towards its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.
It was the latest major crackdown on Big Tech by Brussels, which has led the world in reining in some of the world’s largest companies from Silicon Valley to Beijing.
Google had recently lost its appeal of a $4.5 billion antitrust fine imposed by the EU for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive branch and highest antitrust enforcer, said it was acting in the interest of consumers after running an antitrust investigation of Google.
“The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut,” said Teresa Ribera, the commission's Executive Vice President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
Google’s President of Global Affairs Kent Walker blasted the fine as “product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants” that will have a negative impact on European businesses and consumers.
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He said that the EU’s Digital Markets Act forces Google “to strip away real-time search features Europeans love — like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants — and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.”
Brussels has ratcheted up the pressure on U.S. and Chinese tech giants despite the risk of incurring the wrath of President Donald Trump, who has lashed out at the 27-nation bloc’s digital regulations and vowed to retaliate if American tech companies are penalized.
The EU describes the world’s seven tech giants — Amazon, Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok owner ByteDance — as “gatekeepers” that control access for consumers.
“In the EU, businesses have the right to compete fairly. Gatekeepers have the obligation to ensure a level playing field and consumers the right to choose for cheaper alternative offers," European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said.
kuiskaaja
in reply to leanleft • • •ghost_laptop
in reply to kuiskaaja • • •leanleft
in reply to leanleft • • •- oppositional incentive (or absence of stake)
- quicker more efficient legal system
- and speculated slightly better voter participation (not counting polarization/partisan us politics)
- US has "money in politics" problem where US tech has lobbying, superpac, and campaign contributions.
- estimated 274 million for a year
- estimated 1.15 billion -- 4 billion(max: 11.5 billion (Underreporting, off-book, classification quirk)) over the last 15 years
- i would speculate that big tech only needs to maintain their existing control, not break new ground.
- low US citizen resistance for ambiguous concerns of products they love
Venia Silente
in reply to leanleft • • •Money as a fine? Pfff, Google execs piss more than that on their breakfast.
Call me when it's extradition and prison time.
queermunist she/her
in reply to Venia Silente • • •Venia Silente
in reply to queermunist she/her • • •The problem is any amount of money for companies that big can simply be forwarded as an IOU or as monthly payments of $1.50, making the punishment essentially painless.
It needs to hurt, and for that it needs to make the elites have to share the experience of the common peasant.
queermunist she/her
in reply to Venia Silente • • •Well of course, the problem is that the law exists to punish poor people. I'm just saying, fines could be made into something devastating.
For instance, they have to pay everything upfront or their company is sold off to pay the fine.