Technology
In a dispute that has dragged on for close to six years, the European Commission may slap Google with a record fine of €3 billion. The E.U. watchdog has found the internet giant guilty of promoting its shopping service in online searches at the expense of rival offerings. The announcement of the ruling is expected by next month after the bill gets finalized.
Through the course of the dispute, Google made three futile attempts to settle the allegations, writes Reuters. The bill is expected to contain provisions that will restrict Google from abusing its dominant presence in the online search market to take unfair advantage and harm competitors. The company will be barred from “manipulating search results” in its favor. In the past, Facebook has refused to modify its search algorithms and proposed redesigned presentations of results as a solution.
In 2009, the European commission penalized chip-maker Intel Corp., which had to shell out €1.1 billion, the highest antitrust fine paid till date, notes The Guardian. The commission can fine up to 10 percent of a firm’s annual sales, which can reach up to €6 billion in Google’s case.
