Italy’s competition regulator announced Thursday that it was fining Google of more than $121 million for abuse of a dominant position.
This fine, in the amount of $123.5, is due to the refusal of the technology giant to accept on its Google Play platform an application that allows locating charging terminals for electric cars, the agency said. Italian in a statement.
“Through the Android operating system and the Google Play application store, Google has a dominant position. It must be remembered that in Italy about three-quarters of smartphones use Android,” said the antitrust authority.
According to an investigation by the Italian regulator, “Google did not authorize” the use of the JuicePass application, developed by the Italian energy giant Enel, on its Android Auto system.
“JuicePass offers a wide range of services for the recharging of electric vehicles ranging from finding a charging station to managing the charging process and reserving a station,” said the Italian body.
This application competes with that of the American giant, Google Maps, which, however, currently only allows you to search for charging stations for electric vehicles.
“Google, by denying Enel X Italia the availability of JuicePass in Android Auto, unfairly limited the possibilities for users of the Enel application,” said the body, which had opened an investigation in May 2019.