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Do not fill this in! ===== European Union ===== On June 27, 2017, the company received a record fine of {{β¬|2.42 billion|link=yes}} from the [[European Union]] for "promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelion |first=Leo |date=June 27, 2017 |title=Google hit with record EU fine over Shopping service |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40406542 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627100311/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40406542 |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2017 |publisher=BBC }}</ref> On July 18, 2018,<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 18, 2018 |title=Antitrust: Commission fines Google β¬4.34 billion for illegal practices regarding Android mobile devices to strengthen dominance of Google's search engine |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180718112553/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4581_en.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2018 |website=European Commission |location=Bruxelles}}</ref> the [[European Commissioner for Competition|European Commission]] fined Google β¬4.34 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. The abuse of dominants position has been referred to as Google's constraint applied to Android device manufacturers and network operators to ensure that traffic on Android devices goes to the Google search engine. On October 9, 2018, Google confirmed<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 10, 2018 |title=Google appeals $5 billion EU fine in Android antitrust case |url=https://apnews.com/f9797e4935c1464f8f6010793ded7c1d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010101238/https://apnews.com/f9797e4935c1464f8f6010793ded7c1d |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |website=[[APNews.com]] |location=Bruxelles |language=en}}</ref> that it had appealed the fine to the [[General Court (European Union)|General Court of the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Foo Yun Chee |date=May 13, 2014 |title=Google challenges record $5 billion EU antitrust fine |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-alphabet-inc-antitrust/google-challenges-record-5-billion-eu-antitrust-fine-idUSKCN1MJ2CA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222061539/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-google-dataprotection/european-court-says-google-must-respect-right-to-be-forgotten-idUSBREA4C07120140513 |archive-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref> On October 8, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Google and Alphabet due to "non-public" [[Google+]] account data being exposed as a result of a bug that allowed app developers to gain access to the private information of users. The litigation was settled in July 2020 for $7.5 million with a payout to claimants of at least $5 each, with a maximum of $12 each.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murdock |first=Jason |date=August 5, 2020 |title=Google+ Settlement: How to Submit a Claim over Privacy Bug and Get a Payout |work=[[Newsweek]] |url=https://www.newsweek.com/google-plus-privacy-bug-settlement-claim-money-1522967 |access-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806080428/https://www.newsweek.com/google-plus-privacy-bug-settlement-claim-money-1522967 |archive-date=August 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Jefferson |date=August 4, 2020 |title=Did you use Google+? You may be owed some money from class-action privacy settlement |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/08/04/google-privacy-settlement-how-much-money-how-to-get/3290508001/ |access-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806014134/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/08/04/google-privacy-settlement-how-much-money-how-to-get/3290508001/ |archive-date=August 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 22, 2020 |title=In re Google Plus Profile Litigation District Court ND of California |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7999009/in-re-google-plus-profile-litigation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806003928/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7999009/in-re-google-plus-profile-litigation/ |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=August 5, 2020 |website=courtlistener.com |publisher=[[Free Law Project]]}}</ref> On March 20, 2019, the European Commission imposed a β¬1.49 billion ($1.69 billion) fine on Google for preventing rivals from being able to "compete and innovate fairly" in the online advertising market. European Union competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google had violated EU antitrust rules by "imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites" that required them to exclude search results from Google's rivals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=David |date=March 20, 2019 |title=EU regulators hit Google with $1.7 billion fine for blocking ad rivals |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/eu-vestager-hits-google-with-fine-for.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320155204/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/eu-vestager-hits-google-with-fine-for.html |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=March 20, 2019 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 20, 2019 |title=Europe hits Google with a third, $1.7 billion antitrust fine |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/tech/google-eu-antitrust/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320133734/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/tech/google-eu-antitrust/index.html |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=March 21, 2019 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> On September 14, 2022, Google lost the appeal of a β¬4.125 billion (Β£3.5 billion) fine, which was ruled to be paid after it was proved by the European Commission that Google forced Android phone-makers to carry Google's search and web browser apps. Since the initial accusations, Google has changed its policy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62888137 | title=Google loses appeal over record EU anti-trust Android fine | date=September 14, 2022 | publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=September 14, 2022 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page