Google

India’s Competition and Anti-Monopoly Protection Authority has revealed that Google is benefiting from its dominance of the Android mobile operating system and related markets by conducting restricted and anti-competitive business activities, the Times of India reported, citing the authority’s report.

The newspaper said the investigation unit of the Competition Authority of India submitted the report after two years of investigation.

The results are set to be evaluated by the Competition and Antitrust Authority, and if Alphabet’s Google subsidiary is found guilty, it could face penalties or be required to refrain from practices seen as distorting competition, according to the report.

“Android has enabled millions of Indians to get online by making mobile devices more accessible to everyone,” a Google spokesperson said in response to an email from Bloomberg seeking comment. “We look forward to working with the Competition Commission of India to show how the system has performed Android is meant to fuel more competition and innovation, not the other way around.”

The agency also accused Google of imposing unilateral contracts on devices and mobile apps to stifle competition and to help its products and apps maintain priority in consumer use, the Times of India reported.

The newspaper said the report alleges that Google has been restricting competition in search engines, the US tech giant’s main business, through its Android operating system.

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