On Thursday, Google became the third tech giant slapped with massive Digital Markets Act (DMA) fines, ordered to pay more than $1 billion for two serious violations that the European Commission (EC) found went unchecked for way too long.
In a press release, the EC explained that the fines were due to Google βself-preferencing its own services on Google Searchβ ($522 million) and for anti-steering practices, like charging fees or restricting app developers from directing consumers to cheaper purchase options outside of Google Play ($488 million).
Google has 60 days to make changes to its services, or else risk even more daily fines. To comply with the DMA, the EC has asked Google to "treat third-party services that feature on Google's search results in a fair and non-discriminatory mannerβ compared to its own services in categories like shopping, hotels, and flights. And Google must also allow app developers, βboth technically and contractually,β to freely sign up users and promote offers outside of Google Play.
Yesterday, the European Commission slapped AliExpress with the largest fine yet under the Digital Services Act (DSA), exceeding $625 million.
In a press release, the EC said that AliExpress failed to βdiligently assess and mitigate risks relating to the sale of illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products on its e-commerce platform.β
Officials found that AliExpress not only failed to staff teams dedicated to removing counterfeit and dangerous items from the platform, but it also made it easy for bad actors to evade detection.
EU regulators preliminarily found Metaβs Facebook and Instagram design addictive, raising the prospect of app changes and a potential $12.1 billion fine.
Apple lost its EU court challenge over iOS and the App Store, keeping both under the Digital Markets Act as another legal challenge still remains possible.