Internet users are not forced to use Google as a search engine, but opt for it en masse. At least that’s what Google states when challenging a billion-dollar fine imposed by the European Commission, because Google was the default search engine on Android for a long time and there would therefore be unfair competition.
The European Commission already made this ruling in 2018, but Google does not want to pay the fine without a fight. The company now hopes to convince the judges that there was no abuse of power at the European Court of Justice.
One of the arguments is that most internet users don’t want to use competing search engines at all. “95 percent of consumers already prefer us over other search engines,” Google said Bloomberg). In addition, the search giant has handed over evidence that the most searched term on Microsoft’s Bing search engine is ‘Google’.
Even if people encounter a different search engine, for example because Bing is the default search engine in the Edge browser, they still prefer to search on Google. According to Google. According to the company, the amount of the fine was also calculated incorrectly. That’s why Google wants at least a reduction in the amount. Never before has the European Commission imposed such a high fine.
Selection screen
Since the ruling, Google has complied with the European Commission. For example, when installing Android, a selection screen has now been added, where users can decide for themselves which search engine they want to have as default.
Previously, the companies behind the search services had to pay Google to be included in this menu, but Google has recently started using a different method. Now the twelve most popular search engines per country are shown in random order.
