European Union regulators are eyeing punishment for Google’s Android anti-competitive practices even as the deadline for the tech giant to respond to the allegations approaches.
According to a weekend report from Reuters, EU officials want to halt certain Google practices as they relate to Android devices, including its distribution of financial incentives to manufacturers to preinstall Google Search and other proprietary apps on phones. In documents viewed by Reuters, EU officials also warned Google could also face a large fine because its anti-competitive practices are ongoing.
EU officials said Google’s anti-competitive Android practices have been ongoing since 2011.
The revelations come just ahead of Google’s October 31 deadline to submit a rebuttal to the Android charges.
But the charges related to its Android practices are just one of several sets of complaints the EU has lodged against Google.
European regulators have also separately launched investigations into Google’s search advertising practices and its online shopping results. The deadlines for Google’s responses in those cases are October 26 and October 13, respectively.
In each case, Google is facing fines of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue if the EU commission finds it guilty of breaching anti-trust rules.
Filed Under: Industry regulations + certifications