EU: Google illegally used Android to dominate search, must pay $5B fine

Enlarge / The Google search app on an Android portable device on February 5, 2018. (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto )

The European Commission today fined Google $5.05 billion (a4.34 billion) for violating EU antitrust rules, saying that "Google has imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators to cement its dominant position in general Internet search."

The commission said that Google is violating antitrust law by requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install the Google search app and Chrome browser "as a condition for licensing Google's app store (the Play Store)."

Google also violated EU antitrust rules by "ma[king] payments to certain large manufacturers and mobile network operators on condition that they exclusively pre-installed the Google Search app on their devices," the commission said.

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