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European Union Fines Google €890 Million for DMA Violations on Search and Play Store

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TLDR

The EU fined Google €890 million ($1B) for self-preferencing its own services in Search results and restricting app steering on Google Play, with 60 days to comply or face penalties up to 5% of global turnover.

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Optimixed's original report on this story.

The European Commission issued two separate fines against Google under the Digital Markets Act: €460 million for systematically favoring its own vertical services like Google Shopping and Hotels over competitors in search results, and €430 million for restricting app developers from directing users to cheaper alternatives outside the Play Store. SERoundtable reports that Google has already begun testing changes to search display, shopping ads, and steering terms, with some updates visible in EU hotel results; the company must implement non-discriminatory ranking practices within 60 days or face escalating penalties.

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