US-based tech giant Google has been fined a second penalty of Rs 937.44 crore in India in the span of weeks after the company was accused of abusing its dominant position in the market. “Google has been given 30 days to provide the requisite financial details and supporting documents,” the CCI order said.
Google has now responded to the penalty by stating that “Indian developers have benefited from the technology, security, consumer protections, and unrivaled choice and flexibility that Android and Google Play provide.”
“And, by keeping costs low, our model has powered India’s digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians. We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement sent to indianexpress.com.
Just a week ago, the Competition Commission of India slapped Google with a penalty of Rs 1,338 crore for abusing its dominant position in multiple categories pertaining to the Android mobile operating system. The Google-made OS is used by multiple smartphone manufacturers including Xiaomi, Samsung, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and many more.
The CCI accused Google of forcing app developers to exclusively use Google Play’s billing system (GPBS) for receiving payments for apps as well as for in-app purchases. App developers are also restricted from providing users with a direct link to a website where they can opt for an alternative payment method.
This is something numerous developers have spoken up against in the past, accusing Google’s Android as well as Apple’s iOS platforms of similar tactics to maintain their dominance.
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