One year ago, the European Commission imposed a fine of 2.95 billion euros on Google. The reason: The company was found to be in violation of competition law. At the time of the decision, the Commission stated that Google would likely have to spin off parts of its business in order to comply with legal requirements. One year on it’s “big business as usual for Google” in Europe as the Commission has not decided on any further measures since then.
The Irish Government should recuse itself from negotiating legislation that touches on digital policy and corporate tax in Brussels during its Council of the EU presidency, given its “questionable track record” and cozy relationship with tech multinationals, a group of 50 academics rightly says in an open letter to the Irish Government.
Ursula von der Leyen has halted a previously planned multibillion-euro fine against Google at the last minute. In an open letter released today, more than 30 organizations are calling on the Commission President to impose the fine promptly and thus effectively enforce the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Amazon’s market power is enormous. In e-commerce, the company accounts for 60 percent of online sales in Germany. The Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) is taking action against the abuse of that power. This is an important, though long-overdue step.
Civil society organisations across Europe seriously regret the European Commission’s decision to unconditionally clear Google’s proposed acquisition of Wiz. The decision runs counter to lessons drawn from past under-enforcement in the digital sector, the Commission’s...
We are part of the Digital Merger Watch (DMW) project. In this project, we track Big Tech’s mergers and acquisitions. Here is our latest update.
Google intends to acquire the cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion. This would be the largest acquisition in Google’s history and another step toward strengthening Google’s market power. Together with partners, we have submitted a formal submission to the European Competition Authority, urging a thorough investigation of this merger.
The EU Commission is demanding that Google take action against its conflicts of interest. A break up remains on the table. The next few months will decide whether the EU will finally take action in the tense political climate.
The EU must limit the power of tech companies. It must not give in to Trump’s attacks on the EU’s digital laws. This is what we and over 50 alliance partners are calling for in a letter to von der Leyen. It is a problematic sign that the EU Commission is postponing a decision because of Google’s monopoly power.
A large majority of the French, German and Spanish public are in favour of the EU taking a tough stance on Big Tech, despite the risks to relations with the Trump administration. There is also support for breaking up Google.
