The European Union has recently taken a look at the world of technology, as with its GDPR policy. Now Google has been fined $5 billion for antitrust injustice with domination of its effective Android system. Was it a value challenge?
The value of the EU
Alphabet-owned Google fined a record $5 billion (4.34 billion euros) by EU regulators because the powerful Android mobile system dominates smartphones, creating an antitrust problem. Google said it would appeal to value because it believes it’s about creating more options, not fewer.
However, EU officials insist that Alphabet has been unfair to its own services by urging and endorsing smartphone makers to sell their smartphones with Google Chrome and Google Search pre-installed as a package, bundled with Google Play. . They still prevent these manufacturers from selling smartphones with modified or “forked” versions of Android.
The European Commission has ordered Alphabet to end any illegal behavior within ninety days or face further charges. This is the largest sum of fortune ever inflicted on Google, including last year when they were penalized $2.7 billion for supporting their shopping service over others.
The EU has compared Google to long-time competitor Apple, claiming that they are not “binding enough” to Google, but also pre-install several apps on their iPhones.
It was an effort by the EU to protect consumers, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told CNBC: “They have products that we all love and love to use. The only thing we don’t like is when they abuse their success and put illegal restrictions.”
Google strikes back
Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post that the commission ignored “the fact that Android phones compete with iOS phones.” He added that the EU had not considered the option that Android offered to phone manufacturers, mobile network operators, application developers and consumers.
Highlighting the bundling of apps they do, Pichai felt that if users don’t want to use Google’s pre-installed options, it’s futile for them to install alternatives. He suggested the move could “alter Google’s prudent stay” with Android. They allow phone makers to use Android, which is cracked code, for free, but it brings them ad revenue when consumers use it.
Related : Capcom has been hacked in a possible ransomware attack
Analyze the value of the EU
In short, it initially appears that Google is being fined for being free and cracked, but that’s not all. Naively, they don’t get fined because they’re free and cracked, but the powerful Android system shows up on so many different devices because they’re free and cracked, and the more they show up on devices, the more they dominate the market.
Additionally, it seems that they are fined because they are so successful. They have so much wealth in the business that $5 billion isn’t going to bankrupt them, but it begs the question of whether they’ve been fined that amount just because they have that kind of stuff. ‘silver.
And in both arguments, we have to compare Google with Apple, Android’s veteran competitor. They still install their own software on their devices. But that’s where the difference lies: your own devices. Apple doesn’t pay anyone else to introduce its software. It only appears on your own devices.
Apple’s iOS software isn’t even cracked. And because of that, there’s no need to worry about it flooding the market. There is no risk of various companies installing it on their systems. Apple would never allow it.
But where they are alike is running a technology company with great wealth. Like Android, they are also the subject of many lawsuits and very expensive decisions. They can afford it, so it’s frivolous to get rid of them.
In the end, despite understanding the EU’s approach, it still seems a bit unfair. No matter how they got there, in essence, they’re still fined because they’re cracked and free and because they have the wealth to bear that fine.
What do you think of the fine imposed on Google by the EU? Do you think it’s fair that they get fined because Android appears on so many smartphones and because it’s cracked? Is it fair that they are fined so hugely just because they can afford it? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
