Brussels, 18/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is getting ready to send, most likely on Wednesday 20 April, a statement of objections to the American Internet giant, Google, over Android, its operating system for mobile telephones, the Financial Times reports.
The in-depth investigation was opened in April 2015 (see EUROPE 11295). On Monday 18 April, at a conference in Amsterdam, the Commissioner responsible for the dossier, Margrethe Vestager, reiterated the cause of her concern. “When we take a new smartphone out of its box, we want it to be ready to go straightaway. We expect the maker -or the network operator - to make sure the basic apps, like a search app, are pre-loaded before it gets to us”, the Commissioner explained. “Our concern is that, by requiring phone makers and operators to pre-load a set of Google apps, rather than letting them decide for themselves which apps to load, Google might cut off one of the main ways that new apps can reach customers”, Vestager said.
The day before, Google's Director of European Operations, Matt Brittin, told the Financial Times that Europe risked getting left behind regarding digital innovation, as the regulators and governments were suffocating tech companies with red tape. “There are some places in Europe and some interests in Europe where the first inclination is to protect the past from the future”, he said. He warned of the possibility that if Europe misses the boat, businesses will relocate to China, Asia or the Silicon Valley.
On Monday, the European Commission also confirmed reports in the Wall Street Journal that News Corp had made a complaint against Google for abuse of dominant position with 'Google News', its news search engine. On 15 April 2015, the Commission already sent Google a statement of objections about Google Shopping, the company's price comparison tool. (Original version in French by Elodie Lamer)