The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890 million for two breaches of the Digital Markets Act, handing the company its first major penalty under the EU’s new digital competition rules. The action adds fresh pressure on Alphabet as Brussels steps up enforcement against Big Tech.
The Commission imposed a €460 million fine over Google’s treatment of its own services in Search, including shopping, hotels, transport and sports results, which regulators said were given preferential placement over rival services. It also issued a separate €430 million penalty over Google Play rules that restricted app developers from directing users to cheaper purchasing options outside Google’s platform.
Google has 60 days to end the non-compliant practices or face periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its worldwide turnover, the Commission said. The ruling is among the bloc’s toughest moves yet under the DMA, which is designed to curb the market power of dominant digital platforms.
The decision also comes amid broader transatlantic tensions over EU regulation of American tech companies. Reports around the ruling said Washington has grown increasingly critical of Brussels’ digital enforcement push, adding a political dimension to the case.
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