The European Union has fined Google 890 million euros ($1 billion), accusing the technology giant of breaking digital antitrust rules by steering users of Google Play and its search engine towards its own services and apps at the expense of rivals.

Thursday’s penalty is the latest in Brussels’ crackdown on Big Tech, which has seen the bloc lead the world in reining in the largest firms from Silicon Valley to Beijing. Google had recently lost its appeal against a $4.5 billion antitrust fine imposed for throttling competition through its Android dominance.

The European Commission said it was acting in the interest of consumers. “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.

The fines are the largest against a single company under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect in 2024. The EU previously fined Meta €200 million and Apple €500 million in 2025.

Google’s head of global affairs, Kent Walker, argued the company is being forced to “strip away real-time Search features Europeans love – like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants – and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.” He added, “This isn’t fair competition.”

The EU has a history of fining Google, totaling €8.2 billion between 2017 and 2019. A separate €2.95 billion fine was imposed last September, after which former President Trump threatened retaliation.

The EU appeared unfazed by potential US retaliation. Ribera stated, “Our duty is to ensure that the regulation adopted by our sovereign institutions is fully enforced.”

Some 25 US Republican lawmakers urged President Trump to use tools like trade investigations against the EU’s “discriminatory” digital rules.

Source: www.aljazeera.com