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The technology company Google was fined with the payment of 100 million euros (about 102. 8 million dollars) for a dominant position that allows it to control the access of application developers to end users, reported the Guarantor Authority of the Competition and Italian Market.
According to the Antitrust Authority, “through the Android operating system and the application store Google Play , Google has a dominant position that allows it to control the access of application developers to end users ”and has“ forced it to put Enel X’s application is available in Android Auto that allows you to use services related to recharging electric vehicles. ”
“ We must remember that in Italy about three quarters It is from smartphones use Android. Furthermore, Google is a very important operator worldwide in the context of the so-called digital economy and has a great financial capacity ”, explains the Italian Antitrust Authority in a statement published on its website.
Specifically, the sanction has fallen on the group companies Alphabet Inc. , Google LLC and Google Italy S. rlGoogle, for infringing the article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
The Authority explains that “ Google has not allowed the interoperability of the JuicePass application with Android Auto , a specific Android feature that allows the applications to be used when the user drives in accordance with the safety requirements and reduction of distractions. ”
JuicePass allows a wide range of functional services for recharging electric vehicles, ranging from bus It remains from a recharge column until the management of the recharge session and the reservation of a recharge column, a function that “guarantees the effective availability of the infrastructure once the user has reached it.”
By denying EnelX Italia the possibility of having JuicePass in Android Auto, Google “has unfairly limited the possibilities for users to use the Enel X Italia application when they are driving an electric vehicle and need to charge ”.
“ In this way, Google has favored its own Google Maps application , which can be used in Android Auto and allows functional electric vehicle charging services, currently limited to searching for charging columns and navigation, but which in the future could include other functions, such as reservation and the payment “, is added in the note.
” The exclusion of the application of Enel X Italia of Android Auto takes more than two years. The continuation of this conduct could definitely compromise Enel X Italia’s ability to build a solid user base, at a time of significant growth in electric vehicle sales ”, explains the Authority.
The document recalls that “ the JuicePass application could disappear from the list of applications used by users, which would significantly reduce consumer choices and hamper technological progress. ”
The Authority further notes that“ controversial conduct may influence the development of electric mobility in a crucial phase of its start-up, in particular with regard to the improvement of an infrastructure network for the recharging of electric vehicles in a crucial phase of its start-up. ”
For its part, Google’s Android Auto has expressed its disagreement with the Italian regulator’s measure and will study the s options you have. “We do not agree with the Authority’s decision and we will review our options,” a statement reads.
Android Auto points out that its “number one priority” is “to ensure that applications can be used safely while driving” and therefore has “strict guidelines on rates of applications that are currently supported. ”
“ These are based on driver distraction testing and industry and regulatory standards. Thousands of applications are already compatible with Android Auto, and our goal is to allow even more developers to make their applications available over time, ”he says.
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