ZURICH: Swiss Authority Initiates Inquiry into Google’s Removal of Choice Screen
On July 14, the Swiss competition authority, known as the Competition Commission (COMCO), publicly announced the commencement of a preliminary investigation concerning Google’s recent elimination of the “choice screen” feature on Android devices within Switzerland.
This feature, critical during the initial setup of new Android devices, permitted users to select their preferred default search engine.
According to a statement from COMCO, “Recently, Google removed this feature in Switzerland.” Consequently, the default search engine—Google—has been imposed on Swiss users without the option of a choice screen during setup.
COMCO raised concerns that this alteration could obscure the visibility of competing search engines, effectively fortifying existing barriers to market entry.
“This new practice by Google could adversely affect the competitive landscape for search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers,” the commission elaborated.
Moreover, the commission highlighted a disparity between Swiss users and those residing in the European Economic Area (EEA), stating, “even though the competitive issues are comparable.”
The EEA encompasses 30 countries, extending the 27-member European Union’s common market to include three additional states, of which Switzerland is not a member.
COMCO noted that in the realm of digital markets, default configurations have a significant impact, with the choice screen designed to mitigate the lock-in effects associated with preconfigured settings.
The commission further asserted, “The preliminary investigation will ascertain whether indications of unlawful competitive restrictions under the Cartel Act exist.”
A spokesperson for Google confirmed the company’s awareness of the investigation, stating, “We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address their questions.”
Earlier in July, the European Court of Justice upheld a staggering €4.1 billion (approximately US$4.7 billion/RM19.11 billion) fine imposed on Google for anti-competitive conduct related to its Android operating system.
This ruling dismissed Google’s second attempt to overturn the penalty initially levied by the European Commission in 2018, which remains the European Union’s largest antitrust fine to date.
The commission, acting as the antitrust regulator for the 27-nation bloc, accused Google of exploiting the widespread use of its Android operating system to stifle competition.
Allegations included pressuring smartphone manufacturers using Android to pre-install Google’s search engine and the Google Chrome browser, effectively sidelining rival services.
Source link: Thestar.com.my.
