Google is "hit" by EU rules - EC accuses the company of favoring its services
Google's parent company, Alphabet, was hit with two charges of violating EU rules, as competition regulators continue their crackdown on "Big Tech" companies.
The European Commission's decision comes amid tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that impose fines on American companies.
Google has been under investigation by the European Commission since March last year for allegedly preventing app developers from informing users about offers outside of Google Play and favoring services like Google Flights.
The EU competition watchdog announced preliminary findings accusing Google of allegedly violating the Digital Markets Act, which aims to curb the power of Big Tech.
The first charge concerned Google's practices in the Google Play app store. Regulators said Alphabet technically prevents app developers from freely directing consumers to other channels for better deals.
They said a service fee charged by the company for facilitating the initial purchase of a new customer by an app developer through Google Play went beyond the rules. In the second charge, regulators said Google favored its own services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights over rivals.
"The two preliminary findings we are adopting today aim to ensure that Alphabet complies with EU rules when it comes to two services widely used by businesses and consumers across the EU, Google Search and Android phones," EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement.
Google has previously said that some airlines, hotels and retailers have expressed concerns about the impact of the Digital Marketplaces Act.
The company, which has been fined more than 8 billion euros by the EU in recent decades for various violations, risks fines of up to 10% of its annual global sales if found guilty.
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