EU Antitrust Head Reports Progress in Android, AdSense Probe

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager reported Wednesday that the EU Commission’s investigation into Google’s anti-competition case involving Android and AdSense is advancing.

The case had been opened in 2015 after a lobbying group called FairSearch had filed a complaint. A 2016 document revealed a proposal to levy a large fine against the search giant for its revenue-sharing agreements with smartphone makers that pre-install Google Search. Google was also accused of being anti-competitive by requiring Chrome and other Google apps to be installed with Google Play, as well as blocking competitors using AdSense.

Lawmaker Ramon Tremosa lamented that “Five years in the Google case seems an eternity,” and urged Vestager to break up the company. However, this is seen to be highly unlikely due to a high legal threshold.

Source: Reuters