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Facebook has been going through a lot of government scrutiny in recent months, but now it looks like that Googles turn is coming soon. The European Commission is preparing to hand down its decision on an antitrust investigation into the search giants Android operating system. A fine against the company is expected to be announced in July.
Google is accused of requiring phone manufacturers to install the companys Chrome web browser and its search tool on their devices. Google allegedly offered financial incentives to place its apps on phones, and also threatened to cut off access to the Google Play Store if companies didnt comply.
The EU hit Google previously with a $2.7 billion fine for manipulating search results to favor its own shopping service over third-party options that may have produced better results, but that penalty may end up looking like a teaser compared to the one Google will get for possible Android antitrust violations. Google could be fined up to $11 billion, or 10 percent of the companys annual turnover, according to the Financial Times.
Google still holds about 90 percent of the search market around the globe and just under 90 percent of all smartphone operating system market worldwide. The company isnt hurting for the time being, but it should expect further scrutiny as long as it has those positions.
