Google’s pockets are feeling a bit lighter today

Google’s pockets are feeling a bit lighter today

You can’t do that… says the European Commission to Google after fining the company $5 billion for unfairly pushing its apps on smartphone users. This is the most substantial fine ever passed down by the European Commission and supposedly reflects the “serious and sustained nature” of Google’s violations.

Oh yes, we can… says Google to the European Commission stating that “Android has created more choice for everyone, not less.” For that reason, Google is appealing the decision – and when $5 billion is on the line, who can blame them? And who cares if Google forces manufacturers to install Google Search as a condition of doing business – it’s not like people would turn to Bing if Google weren’t forced upon them.

To put this in perspective… $5 billion is a drop in the bucket to a company like Google. Heck, they were whacked with a $2.8 billion antitrust fine last year, and it had little impact on the company. If Google wants to avoid further trouble, they have 90 days to stop what they have been doing, regardless of their appeal. But since they don’t believe they are doing anything wrong – what do they have to stop?

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