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India’s antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has initiated a probe against Alphabet Inc’s Google regarding its implementation of policies in what is alleged to be a discriminatory manner. This move comes amid ongoing tensions between Indian startups and Google over the fees charged for in-app payments.
The dispute stems from Google’s practice of charging fees ranging from 11% to 26% for in-app payments, which has been a point of contention for Indian startups. Earlier this month, Google removed over 100 Indian apps from its Play Store for billing-related violations, a move that was later reversed following government intervention.
A Google spokesperson stated, “We are examining CCI’s order initiating the investigation. The CCI has previously examined our service fee in detail between 2020 and 2022 and found no illegality. However, we take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously and will cooperate with the process in every way.”
The startups had raised concerns with the CCI, leading to the watchdog’s decision to launch an investigation into Google’s billing practices. The CCI has directed its investigation unit to complete the probe within 60 days.
This latest development adds to the ongoing tensions between Google and Indian startups regarding the fees imposed on in-app payments. In 2022, India’s antitrust authorities had ordered Google to dismantle its system of charging fees ranging from 15% to 30%.
Notably, this is not the first time Google has faced scrutiny over its Play Store policies in India. In 2020, the tech giant temporarily removed the popular Indian payments app Paytm from its Play Store citing policy violations.
Sources By Agencies
