Alphabet’s Google said on Friday it plans to challenge a ruling by India’s competition watchdog, which ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its Android platform and fined it $162 million for anti-competitive practices.c
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in October that Google is using its dominance in markets such as Android web search and the app store to protect the positions of its programs such as Chrome and YouTube in mobile browsers and online video hosting.
“We have decided to appeal the CCI’s decision on Android because we believe it is a significant setback for our Indian users and businesses that rely on Android’s security features and could potentially increase the cost of mobile devices,” said a spokesperson for Google on Friday.
Reuters previously reported that the CCI’s decision had Google worried because it was looking for broader remedies.
According to Counterpoint Research, about 97% of India’s 600 million devices run Android.
“Android has greatly benefited Indian users, developers, and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and accelerated India’s digital transformation.” “We look forward to making this happen and remain committed to our users and partners,” Google said.
Google has faced increased antitrust scrutiny around the world, including a major setback earlier this year when the European Court of Justice upheld a 2018 ruling that the company imposed “illegal restrictions on Android mobile phone manufacturers.”
Google also intends to appeal the decision, which could result in a record fine of $4.1 billion.
The company has also been criticized for licensing the Android operating system to smartphone players while entering into restrictive anti-competitive agreements.
American tech giant Android has created more options for everyone, and contracts like this help keep the operating system free.
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