Still bad news for Google from India. The competition regulator fined the behemoth 9 billion rupees – equal to 113 million dollars – for anti-competitive practices, in a second sanction within a week. The regulator accused Google of “abusing” its dominant position on the Play Store to force developers to use its in-App payment system. And he asked the giant to open up to third-party billing or payment services. Google’s answer? Let’s find out together.
India: Google fined by regulator for competition
“By keeping costs down, our model has fueled India’s digital transformation and expanded access to hundreds of millions of Indians. We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps ”. So a Google spokesperson reported after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the tech giant was implementing certain policies on its Play Store, requiring developers to “exclusively” use its payment system for the distribution / sale of Apps and in-App services.
According to Reuters, the regulator has asked Google to adopt a series of mineures within three months, including not restricting “App developers from using third-party billing / payment processing services, both for purchases. in-App and for App purchase “. The order is the latest setback for Google, which is facing heavy accusations by the Antitrust in India. Last week, in fact, the tech giant was fined 13 billion rupees – 161 million dollars – for using its Android platform to dominate the market. And now comes the second “sting” of the Antitrust. What then will be the future of Google in India?