The European Commission hit Google with an €890 million ($1 billion) fine on Thursday for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). It’s the largest total sanction issued under the EU’s Big Tech rulebook so far.
Here’s the breakdown: €460 million for self-preferencing its own services in search results, and €430 million for anti-steering restrictions on Google Play.
Two violations, one message
Self-preferencing means Google gave its own services — shopping, hotels, flights, transport, sports results — prime placement at the top of search pages with enhanced visuals and filters, while third-party rivals got buried. Under the DMA, gatekeepers can’t treat their own services more favourably than others.
Anti-steering refers to Google blocking app developers from telling users about cheaper offers available outside Google Play — like on websites or alternative app stores. Developers couldn’t freely communicate pricing or direct customers to other purchase channels.
“The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine,” said EU competition chief Teresa Ribera.
Not Google’s first rodeo
This is Google’s first DMA fine, but its fifth and sixth overall for anti-competitive practices. Between 2017 and 2019, the EU hit Google with fines totalling €8.2 billion. Add a €2.95 billion antitrust fine from September last year, and the total now exceeds €10.38 billion over nearly two decades.
The political backdrop
The timing is awkward. President Trump has previously threatened to retaliate against EU tech regulation with tariffs. The decision comes just hours before a series of temporary global tariffs were set to expire. EU officials insist the bloc has the “sovereign right” to regulate US tech companies in its jurisdiction and that the timing wasn’t politically motivated.
What happens next?
Google has 60 days to comply — meaning it must treat rivals fairly in search results and let app developers steer users to cheaper options. Fail to do so, and it risks daily penalties of up to 5% of its global turnover.
The good news for Google? The Commission noted a “constructive dialogue” with the company and significant progress toward compliance, suggesting more fines are unlikely. Google has already started testing changes to how it displays search results.
Google isn’t happy. Kent Walker, president of global affairs, called it “product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants” and said the DMA forces Google to strip away real-time search features Europeans love — like instant pricing for hotels and flights — and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.
For now, the message from Brussels is clear: the DMA has teeth, and they’re not afraid to use them.
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