Google Fined AU$55 Million in Australia Over Anti-Competitive Search Engine Deals

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Google has agreed to pay AU$55 million (US$36 million) for making deals that limited competition on Android phones sold by two major Australian telecom companies.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the deals, which ran from December 2019 to March 2021, involved pre-installing only Google’s search engine on devices from Telstra and Optus. In return, the telecoms received a share of the advertising revenue generated from the searches.

“Conduct that restricts competition is illegal in Australia because it usually means less choice, higher costs, or worse service for consumers,” said ACCC Chair Gina-Cass Gottlieb.

The ACCC and Google jointly asked the Federal Court to approve the AU$55 million penalty. The court will now decide whether the agreed fine and other orders are appropriate.

Google admitted the deals were likely to reduce competition, but the company said it has since removed such clauses from its agreements. “We are committed to providing Android device makers more flexibility to preload browsers and search apps,” a Google spokesperson said.

Last year, Telstra and Optus also agreed to court-enforceable measures to avoid making new agreements that would pre-install Google Search as the default on Android devices.