‘India watchdog finds Google uses unfair trade practices’

A man walks past the sign of “Google for India”, the company’s annual technology event in New Delhi (file). India’s antitrust body has found Google leverages its dominance in the Android mobile operating system and related markets with anti-competitive and restrictive trade practices, a local news report said.

India’s antitrust body has found Google leverages its dominance in the Android mobile operating system and related markets with anti-competitive and restrictive trade practices, the Times of India newspaper said, citing a report by the agency. The Competition Commission of India’s investigations unit submitted the report after two years of inquiry, the newspaper said. The antitrust watchdog will examine the findings, and if found guilty Alphabet Inc’s Google could face penalties or be asked to refrain from practices that are seen to distort competition, according to the report. “Android has enabled millions of Indians to connect to the Internet by making mobile devices more affordable,” a Google spokesperson said in reply to Bloomberg e-mail seeking comment. “We look forward to working with the Competition Commission of India to demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less.” The agency also accused Google of imposing one-sided contracts on devices and mobile applications to stifle competition, and to help its own products and applications maintain primacy in consumer usage, the Times of India said. The report alleges that Google has been restricting competition in search engines, the US technology giant’s main business, with its Android operating system, the newspaper said.