Google is investigated by regulators on suspicion of violating India's antitrust directive

CTOnews.com May 14, according to Reuters, the Indian Competition Commission (CCI) has launched an investigation into Google because a number of companies have accused Google of failing to comply with CCI's previous instructions. In October 2022, CCI fined Google $113 million (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 786 million yuan) for not allowing developers to use third-party payment platforms to handle in-app purchases.

Several companies, including Match Group, which owns dating apps such as Tinder, have asked CCI to investigate Google's new user choice billing (UCB) system. Google launched the UCB pilot project after the European Union and India felt that its Play store billing system (GPBS) was unfair to customers and developers. But companies that use UCB say Google still charges them commissions ranging from 11% to 26%, in violation of a directive that "forbids them from imposing any unfair and disproportionate conditions."

Google has previously argued that the fees charged to developers are used to maintain the Play store and provide developer tools and analytics services. The Competition Commission of India has given Google four weeks to respond to the allegations and "explain the changes in certain terms related to the in-app payment system before and after UCB, and provide policy details related to data sharing between users and application developers."