News Analysis India

Tag: Alphabet

  • Sundar Pichai Completes 20 Years Journey At Google: Says "A Lot Has Changed" Since First Day

    Sundar Pichai currently serves as the CEO of Google and Alphabet’s Board of Directors.

  • Digital Markets Act: EU Starts Probe Into Apple, Meta, Google Under New Digital Law |

    New Delhi: The European Union (EU) has started an investigation into big tech giants Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Meta, in its first probe under the sweeping new Digital Markets Act (DMA) tech legislation. The EU has started the investigation after the potential breaches of the newly enacted anti-trust law. 

    The suite of probes announced are the first under the EU’s Digital Markets Act law, which took effect earlier this month. 

    The DMA has categorized six major tech firms — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft — as gatekeepers, mandating their adherence to specific provisions to boost more competition in digital markets, including allowing third-party app stores.

    The European Commission announced five investigations into Apple, Google, and Meta’s compliance with the DMA, with completion expected within 12 months. (Also Read: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus Get Price Cuts In India On Flipkart, Starting At Rs 56,999)

    Apple and Alphabet (Google’s parent company) will undergo EU scrutiny regarding how they enable app developers to shift consumers to third-party app stores without charges. Adding further, the European Union will also examine changes that Google made to how its search results appear in Europe. 

    Another investigation will focus on Apple’s adherence to rules facilitating the easy removal of apps and changes to default settings on iPhones, along with how the company presents choice screens for alternative search engines and browsers.

    Meta’s ‘pay or consent’ model, requiring users to pay for data protection and ad-free experiences on Facebook and Instagram, will also be examined.

    The EU’s recent law, effective this month, mandates major tech companies to follow numerous new rules, aiming to enhance competition from smaller entities in digital advertising, online search, and app ecosystems.

    Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Apple, the tech giant, plans to add new fees and restrictions for third-party software downloads outside its App Store. (Also Read: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Thought That OpenAI Would Fail: OpenAI CE0 Sam Altman)

    This development follows the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by the European Union, aimed at targeting the market clout of big technology companies and making it easier for people to move between competing services. 

  • Google Removes Some India Matrimony Apps, Executive Calls Move ‘Dark Day’ |

    New Delhi: Google began removing the apps of 10 companies in India on Friday, including some popular matrimony apps such as Bharat Matrimony, in a dispute over service fee payments, potentially sparking a showdown with startup firms.

    The dispute centres on efforts by some Indian startups to stop Google from imposing a fee of 11 percent to 26 percent on in-app payments, after the country’s antitrust authorities ordered it to dismantle an earlier system of charging 15 percent to 30 percent. (Also Read: BIG Bonanza To Farmers Ahead Of Kharif Season! Centre Clears Rs 24,400 Crore Fertiliser Subsidy)

    But Google effectively received a go-ahead to charge the fee or remove apps after two court decisions in January and February, one by the Supreme Court, not to give any relief to startups. (Also Read: Bill Gates And PM Modi Meeting: Did You Know Their Topic Of Discussion? Check Here)

    Matrimony.com dating apps Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony and Jodii were deleted on Friday, company founder Murugavel Janakiraman said, describing the move as a “dark day of Indian Internet”.

    “Our apps are getting deleted one by one”.

    The unit of Alphabet Inc has sent notices of Play Store violations to Indian companies Matrimony.com, which runs the app BharatMatrimony, and Info Edge, which runs a similar app, Jeevansathi.

    Both companies are reviewing the notice and will consider the next steps, their executives told Reuters. Shares of Matrimony.com fell as much as 2.7 percent after the Reuters report, before paring losses, while Info Edge dropped 1.5 percent.

    Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani said it had cleared all pending Google invoices in a timely manner and was compliant with its policies.

    In a blog post, Google said 10 Indian companies had chosen for an extended period of time not to pay for the “immense value they receive on Google Play”. It did not identify the firms.

    “For years, no court or regulator has denied Google Play’s right to charge,” the company said on Friday, adding that the Supreme Court on Feb. 9 also “refused to interfere” with its right to do so.

    Google’s app removal could anger the Indian startup community which has been protesting many of the U.S. giant’s practices for years. The firm, which denies any wrongdoing, dominates the Indian market as 94 percent share of phones are based on its Android platform.

    Google says its fee supports investments in the app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring free distribution, and covering developer tools and analytic services.

    Just 3 percent of the more than 200,000 Indian developers who use the Google Play platform are required to pay any service fee, it added.