Google faces record-breaking fine for web search monopoly abuse

[P4-630]

Google faces a record-breaking fine for monopoly abuse within weeks, as officials in Brussels put the finishing touches to a seven-year investigation of company’s dominant search engine.

It is understood that the European Commission is aiming to hit Google with a fine in the region of €3bn, a figure that would easily surpass its toughest anti-trust punishment to date, a €1.1bn fine levied on the microchip giant Intel.

Sources close to the situation said officials aimed to make an announcement before the summer break and could make their move as early as next month, although cautioned that Google’s bill for crushing competition online had not been finalised.

The maximum possible is around €6.6bn, or a tenth of Google’s total annual sales.

It will mark a watershed moment in Silicon Valley’s competition battle with Brussels. Google has already been formally charged with unlawfully promoting its own price comparison service in general search results while simultaneously relegating those of smaller rivals, denying them traffic.

The stakes have been further raised by a new investigation into alleged monopoly abuse related to Google’s Android smartphone software.

Margarethe Vestager, the Competition Commissioner, on Friday raised the possibility of further charges in other specialised web search markets such as travel information and maps.

Legal sources said the fine it faces over shopping comparison is likely to take account of the fact that Google abused its monopoly on general web search over many years. The European Commission may also seek to make an example of the company over changes to its algorithms during the investigation that made it even harder for competitors to thrive, as well as what some officials now see as its delaying tactics during the investigation.

As well facing as a heavy fine, Google will be banned from continuing to manipulate search results to favour itself and harm rivals. The company has fiercely resisted such interference in its algorithms, the heart of its business, and sought to placate regulators with offers to redesign the presentation of results, a gambit that ultimately failed.

Jaoquin Almunia, the previous Competition Commissioner, sought to agree a deal on such changes without bringing formal charges, but Ms Vestager’s has brought a new, more aggressive style to the role, according to lawyers in Brussels.

Her fine will signal a rejection of Google’s arguments that because Amazon and eBay are successful competition is thriving online.

Google declined to comment. It could choose to fight the fine and new search rules in the European Court of Justice.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...-breaking-fine-for-web-search-monopoly-abuse/

 

[cdawall]

So why do they want to fine them? Is it because they are just literally better or because being better made them abuse the competition?

 

[Easy Rhino]

Eu does this to all tech companies. EU is broke and needs to extort money from good businesses to fund all of the terrorists they allow into their countries. Very sad.

 

[R-T-B]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's abuse of their power that being "better" has given them. I mean like it or not, they pretty much single handedly abolished flash from the web, a competing (if inferior) standard. They basically just said "Chrome will no longer support this" and everyone jumped ship.

EDIT: Although I just realized that has nothing to do with web searches, ahem, sorry...

 

[dorsetknob]

Personally i think Google ( and other tech Company's ) have Brought this on themselves

Reason

They Actively Play the Tax Revenue Game to avoid and manipulate paying Tax
This PISSES OFF the various Tax Jurisdictions and so they open themselves to allegations and investigation
If they had Paid the Taxes On Revenue and Profits Earned in the Tax Jurisdiction
Then that Tax Jurisdiction would be less inclined to investigate where its expected Tax Revenue is Disapearing to.

They could not Get Al Capone for Bootlegging and Rackerteering so they nailed him for tax evasion
Same Principal applies here

 

[vega22]

euro will be going after facebok soon for the same reasons knob mentions here for google.

 

[dorsetknob]

Uncle Sam will look on with amused interest as the EU picks up the Flack Barrage
Knowing that if the EU Succeeds it opens the IRS floodgate for similar Action

( or is the TTIP Treaty Googles Secret trade Weapon it
Seems some of the leaked proposals contained within
it will allow Google to Sue/Shaft the EU).

 

[Caring1]

Can't blame Google for Bing being a failure

 

[jboydgolfer]

Can't blame Google for Bing being a failure

Ikr?
Google has been my home page since the 90's, and its not becuz they are a monopoly,its due to its VERY unintrusive design,and effective function.it was a safe haven when annoying flashing ads were everywhere,as well as popups back then.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I don't get it...
Nobody is forcing anyone to use Google...they have competition...they are better therefore they get used more.

I understand that it's hard to compete against them...
I do understand the tax evasion but every American company does that..
That's why the U.S. has a deficit...because all these companies setup a tax inversion scam in the EU...but mostly just in Ireland.

 

[dorsetknob]

I do understand the tax evasion but every American company does that..
That's why the U.S. has a deficit...because all these company setup a tax inversion scam in the EU...but mostly just in Ireland.

That's why i speculated this

Uncle Sam will look on with amused interest as the EU picks up the Flack Barrage
Knowing that if the EU Succeeds it opens the IRS floodgate for similar Action

 

[Fourstaff]

EU seems to be very active in trying to get these sort of things going instead of fixing their own economic problems.

 

[horik]

Eu does this to all tech companies. EU is broke and needs to extort money from good businesses to fund all of the terrorists they allow into their countries. Very sad.

Clear as water, many of us in Europe think the same.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

EU seems to be very active in trying to get these sort of things going instead of fixing their own economic problems.

It can't legally be fixed.
I know it sounds retarded but between seriously corrupted WTO rules setup by corporations and China there is little to be fixed and once TPP is in effect there will be nothing Gov't's can do about it..we are literally handing power over to the corporations in return for nothing..

Think about it..steel mills around the world are closing or idling because of Chinese steel dumping and no Gov't's have any authority to do anything about it..because of the WTO...

 

[Fourstaff]

It can't legally be fixed.

Things must be pretty grim if EU's problems cannot be fixed. Will anyone other than the most depressed accept that they cannot do anything to make their future a better place? Or perhaps Trump & Co is onto something. As for China, steel mills are probably their equivalent of "social welfare".

Lets see how EU plays this out, and whether Google's well paid lawyers are any good.

 

[dorsetknob]

The whole EU Deck of Cards will collapse slowly " when and if " the UK votes to withdraw From the EU
They Need the UK Money ( which stops if the UK Leaves ) as the UK is one of the Few Gross contributors to The EU.

Why do you think the IMF and all those Others are saying UK is Better in
Because if we leave The EU Collapses and their investments are at risk.

 

[basco]

fortune is not a favorite of mine but its a good rundown of big companies doing all the same:

http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/apple-google-taxes-eu/

in my country we as workers are paying nearly 50% tax of our income-so should the billion dollar companies.
but it will always be the small men who pay the fat asses

 

[RejZoR]

euro will be going after facebok soon for the same reasons knob mentions here for google.

They'll be going after Facebook for other reasons, particularly them fiddling with news and other information.

 

[cdawall]

It's not googles fault the most searched thing on bing/edge is google chrome.

 

[Solaris17]

So why do they want to fine them? Is it because they are just literally better or because being better made them abuse the competition?

Eu does this to all tech companies. EU is broke and needs to extort money from good businesses to fund all of the terrorists they allow into their countries. Very sad.

Seriously, this is the dumbest shit ever. You can just choose a different search engine. Have they sued Microsoft yet for bing? Its default on every Windows install. I wouldn't be surprised if they sued them next for not "Offering consumer choice" when they first start the browser.

You can just go find another search engine if you dont like google. I am going too assume that it must be difficult on phones because I saw that mentioned in the article. I personally dont own an android device, and when I did I used google anyway so never looked into it. BUT assuming its difficult or impossible to do on a phone what is there too sue for? Its a google (Alphabet) OS. "We are suing you because the product people buy is the product you provide and no one has a choice." <-- thats pretty much how I read this entire thing.

 

[cdawall]

Siri doesn't use Google and is just as popular as android

 

[Frick]

EU seems to be very active in trying to get these sort of things going instead of fixing their own economic problems.

I know what you mean, but I've always been annoyed with these comments. That's not how it works. Like the people saying "OMG all the refugees are taking the money from our old people'" like the pennyless old people weren't pennyless before, or how "the cops should work on [whatever I think is important] rather than fining me for doing 140kph in a 90 zone", or ... And so on.

Me I'm all for fining google. Wankers, the lot of them.

And afaik it's not about whether Google is morepopular or not, but about whether they abuse that position or not. Which is a valid concern seeing how people don't even know what a search engine is anymore. It's just a google. People don't go to websites anymore (like techpowerup.com, they google them.

 

[bubbleawsome]

Did you guys even read the article? They aren't being fined for being the best, they're being fined for pushing their own services without notifying people. It not just that they own 90%+ of the market.

 

[Solaris17]

Did you guys even read the article? They aren't being fined for being the best, they're being fined for pushing their own services without notifying people. It not just that they own 90%+ of the market.

Looks like we are going to need shit like this now.

***WARNING***

With purchase of this google device or accepting the EULA during installation of the google search addon you are agreeing to use google products that may contain software that we made.


Also might as well get this out of the way.

***WARNING***

Buy Purchasing this Kitchenaid Toaster, you are agreeing that should bread enter the toaster at any time it may come out as toast. At Kitchenaid we respect consumer choice and as such if you would not like the Kitchenaid toaster to make you toast please refrain from putting untoasted bread into the Kitchenaid toaster.

Done now we can sell toasters in the EU

 

[Frick]

Looks like we are going to need shit like this now.

***WARNING***

With purchase of this google device or accepting the EULA during installation of the google search addon you are agreeing to use google products that may contain software that we made.

If it isn't there, it should definitely should be.