Google fined €2.42 billion for promoting own shopping results

[HEXUS]

Anti-competitive market distortion is abuse of Google's power says European Commission.

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[LSG501]

Well I suppose the EU has to make up some of the money they'll lose from the UK leaving...

[Tabbykatze]

I don't agree with this, Google is not abusing their position as the mainstream search engine, they are simply providing a service.

Why should Google provide this level of right when people use their own search engine to break up the service they're providing as part of their standard advertising business. Companies work with Google to put their products up in a way that means Google can find them and put them up a search result. When I search for a blu-ray player I don't want to see a god damn price comparison site, I want to see blu-ray players and Google is providing me that as their comparison. I use Google as my Comparison site to start with.

However if I want to see if I can build my dream PC and check the price metrics for my components, i will go somewhere else.

This is going too far with the fine, Google spent a lot of money, time and effort getting to where they are by providing good services to us users. If they get fined for enriching their users lives with their own developments too much, they will turn into a Microsoft or nVidia where everyone is just a consumer and their opinions matter as much as an Ant does to the planet.

Maybe it's just because I'm naive or something, but the fine is too large and the substance of what is being fined about is weak. Demotion of Googles competitors using anti-competitive Search algorithms? Bugger off, that is a weak argument at best, as I said, a customer searching for blu-ray players wants to see blu-ray resellers first, not comparison sites so you have to spend another click and time going through that site first.

I count my clicks and if I have to go through 5 links to get somewhere but 2 links another way, I will never take the 5 link route. I actively avoid comparison sites until I'm ready to make a purchase.

[aniilv]

I think the point here is that there are shops which benefit from being google approved sellers and if you are not then forget about showing up on their search engine if you look for x. There is clear distinction between not showing up because of algorithms that improve listings versus algorithms that favor their partners and at the end make them more money.

Simple fix for google.

Also people should applaud EU for actually standing up to the giants, unlike most governments which will only go after small establishments because big ones are just too big.

[shaithis]

Also people should applaud EU for actually standing up to the giants, unlike most governments which will only go after small establishments because big ones are just too big.

I would applaud them if I got a share of the fine.....where exactly does that money go and where is it coming from?

[virtuo]

I think the point here is that there are shops which benefit from being google approved sellers and if you are not then forget about showing up on their search engine if you look for x. There is clear distinction between not showing up because of algorithms that improve listings versus algorithms that favor their partners and at the end make them more money.

As far as I'm aware Google is a business and not a charity, just because a lot of people use them to find products doesn't mean they have a responsibility to present those results "fairly" - that's how advertising works.

[Unique]

I don't agree with this, Google is not abusing their position as the mainstream search engine, they are simply providing a service.

Why should Google provide this level of right when people use their own search engine to break up the service they're providing as part of their standard advertising business. Companies work with Google to put their products up in a way that means Google can find them and put them up a search result. When I search for a blu-ray player I don't want to see a god damn price comparison site, I want to see blu-ray players and Google is providing me that as their comparison. I use Google as my Comparison site to start with.

However if I want to see if I can build my dream PC and check the price metrics for my components, i will go somewhere else.

This is going too far with the fine, Google spent a lot of money, time and effort getting to where they are by providing good services to us users. If they get fined for enriching their users lives with their own developments too much, they will turn into a Microsoft or nVidia where everyone is just a consumer and their opinions matter as much as an Ant does to the planet.

Maybe it's just because I'm naive or something, but the fine is too large and the substance of what is being fined about is weak. Demotion of Googles competitors using anti-competitive Search algorithms? Bugger off, that is a weak argument at best, as I said, a customer searching for blu-ray players wants to see blu-ray resellers first, not comparison sites so you have to spend another click and time going through that site first.

I count my clicks and if I have to go through 5 links to get somewhere but 2 links another way, I will never take the 5 link route. I actively avoid comparison sites until I'm ready to make a purchase.

I pretty much agree with what you are saying. I don't agree with rules that stop companies like Microsoft and apple doing what they want to do with their own products that they have invested millions in, and to which people have the choice to use or not, and benefit from using them. Laws preventing or restricting browsers and media players and anti virus being included in an OS don't seem to be helping the consumer. Competitors are effectively making a business from selling software for the OS which has effectively given them a market because the OS makers are restricted from giving it away free.

[Tabbykatze]

This is quite worrying as it could create precedent that Google is anti-competitive as a search engine against Yahoo and Bing...

Hmm..

[een4dja]

That's £5 for everyone in the EEA! I wonder when we all can expect to get it? Oh wait this is just another back-door tax scheme, never mind

[spacein_vader]

That's £5 for everyone in the EEA! I wonder when we all can expect to get it? Oh wait this is just another back-door tax scheme, never mind

On what level is this a tax?

[Tabbykatze]

On what level is this a tax?

Because it was taken from the company because of an arbitrary rule and the public as a whole won't see or have the direct benefit of it. Frankly, I believe they take this money off them and either burn it or just delete the account it went into half the time </sarc>

[Ozaron]

On what level is this a tax?

Edit: What Tabby said.

It's a good thing much of Google's money is accrued from advertising for other people, isn't it! And quite ironic too, given the circumstances...

That's £5 for everyone in the EEA! I wonder when we all can expect to get it? Oh wait this is just another back-door tax scheme, never mind

On a purely hypothetical note; how expensive would it be for them to find a method of sending £5 in localized currency to everyone in the EEA via a method they could use, in reasonable time? You think they could do it with a budget of €2.42bn?

[LSG501]

On a purely hypothetical note; how expensive would it be for them to find a method of sending £5 in localized currency to everyone in the EEA via a method they could use, in reasonable time? You think they could do it with a budget of €2.42bn?

I'm sure they could google it

[Tabbykatze]

I'm sure they could google it

[Corky34]

Seeing as this case has taken something like 7 years i wouldn't be surprised if Google spent more than the €2.42 billion fine in legal fees.

[big_hairy_rob]

It's a little like Tesco promoting their own brand over that of national chains...

Wait, this already happens, so what's the issue? As long as they don't affect the filtering on ordering by price, then I fail to see what precisely is wrong with their actions.