The European Union charged Google with breaking its antitrust laws as part of a wider European crackdown against Big Tech.
The move could put the EU on a collision course with President Donald Trump, who has warned against overregulation. The EU charges against Google could carry a fine, and Trump declared that he would levy tariffs against any country that fines U.S. companies.
The EU leveled two charges against Google. The first concerned Google Play, the app store, with regulators arguing that Alphabet (Google’s parent company) put barriers in place to prevent app developers from steering customers to other channels for better offers. The second charge said Google favored its own services, such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels, and Google Flights, over rivals, NDTV reported.
“The two preliminary findings we adopt today aim to ensure that Alphabet abides by EU rules when…
