14 DAY TRIAL // Back in April, the European Commission (EU) officially accused Google of abusing its dominant position on the market in Europe. On top of that, an antitrust probe into Android was also launched.
The US tech giant had been accused of being given an unfair advantage by manipulating the search rank of rival firms, while promoting its own Google Shopping service.
At the time, the company also issued an official statement to deny all the accusations, while arguing that Google is an open-source platform that thrives on competition and is not looking to eliminate it, permanently.
How Google views the European mess
Fast forward a few months, Google finally comes out to openly discuss the antitrust charges brought against it by the European Commission. In an interview conducted by Politico with Google’s European Chief Executive Matt Brittin, we’re told that the search giant acknowledges it doesn’t always make the perfect decisions.
Google blames miscommunication and differences in cultural values between the US and Europe for what happened.
“We don’t always get it right […] We understand that people [in Europe] are not the same in their attitudes to everything as people in America,” says Brittin.
Google was also short on staff in Europe, so it failed to understand on time Europe’s position and objections. Still, the search giant maintains its position and calls itself innocent.
“There is no evidence that consumers have been harmed here, and actually no evidence that complaints have been harmed,” the official states.
Brittin goes on to mention that, even though he believes the European Commission’s accusations are out of date, the company is still open to a settlement.
Why out of date? Because the mobile ecosystem is quickly shifting. So fast that today people spend seven out of every eight minutes online using apps, downloading apps or searching for apps. Therefore, Google argues there has never been a more competitive time than now. And some players just can’t handle the pressure.
Google speaks against Disconnect's case
Brittin was also heard dismissing the latest complaint brought about by the creators of privacy app Disconnect, who accused Google of abusing its position once again by banning their application, Disconnect Mobile, from the Play store.
The Google official points out that there are many other privacy apps available in the Google Play Store, which complied with the policies of the app store. Disconnect Mobile did not.
As Google puts it, there will always be somebody out there who will be unhappy.