Google fined A$55m in Australia over anti-competitive telco deals

Google has agreed to pay an A$55 million ($35.8 million) fine in Australia after the consumer watchdog found it had hurt competition by paying Telstra and Optus to pre-install its search engine on Android phones, excluding rivals.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the deals, which ran from late 2019 to early 2021, gave Google a substantial advantage over competing search providers. Google admitted the conduct, stopped similar arrangements, and jointly submitted the penalty with the regulator to the Federal Court.

The case adds to Google’s recent setbacks in Australia, including a court ruling largely against it in a lawsuit by Fortnite-maker Epic Games and the addition of YouTube to a ban on social media platforms for under-16s.

Attribution: Reuters

Subediting: Y.Yasser