Google’s parent company Alphabet has suffered a major setback after the continent’s second-highest court upheld an EU record antitrust fine of $4.1 billion against Google on Wednesday. Google was penalized for allegedly imposing strategic restrictions on Android phone makers to ensure that its search engine alone benefits. Another ruling came almost immediately after the EU decision in South Korea, where lawmakers imposed a combined $71 million fine on Alphabet and Meta for alleged privacy violations. The investigation revealed that Google was collecting and studying user data, and tracking their use of the website.
As Google and other Big Tech giants face mounting pressure across the world over their monopolistic practices on multiple fronts, India is also gearing up to address the anti-trust and monopolistic behavior of technology firms. The cookie seems to be faltering for Google in many parts of the world as it begins to lose one battle after another in different parts of the world.
In India, a series of ‘actions’ led by CCI and MEITY are also leading to possible scenarios where Big Tech’s unrestricted non-accountability to regulatory authorities and their alleged anti-trust behavior in dealing with Indian news publishers are going too. be seriously challenged. It may be noted that India has consistently sought to ensure that the tech giant is not only accountable and responsible to domestic laws but also does not infringe on the rights of netizens. A parliamentary committee has also been deliberating on various issues related to the Big Tech monopoly. These efforts come against the backdrop of several reversals that Google’s search engine owner Alphabet faced this week in Europe, the US and South Korea.
According to reports, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Minister of State (MEITY) for Electronics and IT, is leading India’s role and response in the global antitrust campaign. He is focusing on making social media platforms more transparent in their operations and, importantly, abides by the rules and regulations of India in the larger interest of netizens. Brainstorming on stricter rules, controlling internet abuse through bots and algorithms, preparing India’s first upcoming quarterly audit report on compliance efforts of social media companies – Chandrasekhar has his hands full as he plans to make the internet a safer and more equitable one. want to make a place. For netizens.
The Competition Committee of India (CCI), an antitrust watchdog under the Government of India, is also proceeding on a petition against Google filed by the DNPA (Digital News Publishers Association), seeking a fair share in the distribution of advertising revenue earned by Google. News publishers’ own digital platforms. These leading media organizations in India, under the aegis of DNPA, have come together to make a pitch to Big Tech giants like Google to be fair in their relationships with domestic news providers and to make revenue-sharing more transparent.
In the US, of course, there has been a torrent of developments aimed at shaking up Google in recent days. A group of 13 influential companies called on the US Congress to approve a proposed bill that could significantly curtail the powers of Google and other tech giants. Separately, the US Justice Department complained to a federal judge accusing Google of monopolistic behavior. If that proposal moves to a trial and Google is to blame, the big telcos could lose huge earnings. That’s because revelations reveal that Google reportedly paid billions of dollars to Samsung, Apple and other telecommunications giants to ensure the sole dominance of its search engine.