EC imposes €4.34 bln fine on Google

The European Commission imposed a record €4.34 billion fine on Google over "serious illegal behavior" to secure the dominance of its search engine on mobile phones. Google has used its Android mobile phone operating system "to cement its dominance as a search engine," thus preventing rivals from innovating and competing  "and this is illegal under EU antitrust rules," Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, said at a press conference in Brussels. Google has 90 days to end its practices. Otherwise, its parent company Alphabet could be hit with fines amounting to 5 percent of its daily turnover for each day it fails to comply. Google did not agree with EU's allegations and said it will appeal.