In addition to slapping a monetary fine for anti-competitive conduct on Google, the country’s competition authority has also issued a cease and desist order that directs the company to stop the problematic activities that allegedly violate antitrust laws. The CCI has told Google that smartphone makers will no longer be forced to pre-install Google’s core apps like Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Chrome.
Moreover, Google can no longer force OEMs to pre-install the aforementioned apps if they seek to license access to the Google Play Store, the central repository where Android apps are listed for download by smartphone users. Google has also been asked to lift restrictions that it imposes on developing Android forks and selling devices that run such software.
The Competition Commission of India has told Google to stop giving any kind of incentive or preferential treatment to brands that obey its no-fork policy. More importantly, smartphone users will be offered the flexibility to set the search engine of their choice during device set-up, and also change it whenever they want to. A Google spokesperson told CNBC that the company will go over the “narrow concerns” outlined by the competition watchdog and will accordingly chart the course ahead. But the troubles are far from over for the company. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has been sued in Texas for collecting biometric facial and voice data of users without their proper consent.
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