The European Union has fined Google’s parent company Alphabet €890 million (about $1 billion) for two separate violations of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). One penalty is for giving its own products preferential treatment in search results, while the other is for blocking Android developers from sending users to alternate payment options.
A €460 million fine has been issued to Google for giving preferential treatment to its own Shopping, Hotels, and Flights services in Google Search results. The second €430 million penalty is for Play Store rules preventing developers from freely steering consumers to alternative mobile app systems.
As part of the ruling, Google has been given 60 days to make changes to its policies, or face further periodic penalty payments. In Search, it will be required to treat third-party services “in a fair and non-discriminatory manner,” while it will have to allow Android developers to freely promote offers to users both inside and outside the Play Store.
The DMA targets the largest “gatekeeper” companies that provide core digital services in Europe, and requires them to act in a fair manner – not stifle competition by abusing their market dominance. The maximum fine for breaching DMA rules is 10 percent of the company’s global annual revenue — $40 billion in Google’s case, based on the $400 billion it reported for 2025.
“The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine,” said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition. “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. This is the promise of the DMA, protecting fairness, choice and innovation in digital markets for the benefit of all European citizens.”
This is a developing story…