EU Fines Google $1 Billion Over Search, Apps

The penalty is the latest move by Brussels, which has led global efforts to rein in the world's largest technology firms. Teresa Ribera, a Commission executive vice-president, said the decision protected consumers, arguing that "the best products should succeed because they're better, not because they're owned by the company running the search engine." The fine follows a broader pattern: Google recently lost an appeal against a separate $4.5 billion penalty tied to its Android operating system, and last year the EU fined Apple 500 million euros and Meta 200 million euros under similar rules. Officials insisted the bloc had a "sovereign right" to regulate American companies operating within its jurisdiction.

Google reacted angrily. Kent Walker, its president of global affairs, dismissed the fine as "product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants" and warned that the DMA would force the company to remove popular real-time search features, including instant pricing for hotels and flights, and weaken safety protections on Google Play. The company can appeal the ruling and request that the measures be suspended. The timing drew attention, arriving only hours before a set of temporary US tariffs against roughly 60 countries was due to expire, a move that risked angering President Donald Trump, though EU officials denied any connection between the fine and the trade tensions.