France fines Google $2.2 million for skimpy search results

Authorities in France Tuesday slapped a two-million-euro ($2.2 million) fine on tech giant Google for not showing complete results in its search engine and app store, in violation of the rights of the French users.

The Competition, Consumer and Anti-Fraud Office (DGCCRF) stated that Google’s search engine lacked information about the ranking criteria of results, and tourism searches lacked explanations for the prices.

The Google Play Store, on the other hand, lacked information on the ranking criteria of results, payment information, and dispute resolution procedures. Customer reviews also failed to be published on its apps in the store.

The DGCCRF launched an investigation into Google in 2016, following complaints from French start-ups that Google was abusing its market dominance.

The DGCCRF said that Google’s practices were “particularly serious” and that the company had abused its dominant position in the market to impose its own services on users.

The DGCCRF also stated that Google had not provided enough information to users about how it ranks search results and that Google had not complied with French consumer law.

Google has corrected part of the sanctioned shortcomings, but the DGCCRF still imposed the fine.

A Google spokesman said the company regretted that the changes had not been taken into account by the agency.

The spokesman added that Google has always been transparent with its users about how its products work and is open to working constructively with French and European regulators.

The fine marks the latest in a series of legal battles between Google and European regulators. In 2017, the European Union fined Google €2.4bn ($2.7bn) for antitrust violations. In 2018, the European Union fined Google €4.3bn ($5bn) for abusing its market dominance with its Android operating system. Geo News