Google Faces Record $1 Billion Fine from EU Over Search & App Store Practices
The European Union has delivered its most significant blow yet to Alphabet’s Google, levying a landmark fine of €890 million (approximately $1 billion USD) on Thursday, July 23, 2026. This fine is the largest penalty ever issued under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and marks Google’s first offense under this comprehensive legislation.
The European Commission issued two separate non-compliance decisions against the tech giant:
- The first fine of €460 million targets Google Search. The Commission found that Google gave preferential treatment to its own services — including shopping, hotels, transport, and sports results — over those of third-party competitors.
- The second fine of €430 million addresses restrictions on Google Play. Here, app developers were prevented from directing users to cheaper purchase options on rival platforms.
Google has been given 60 days to comply or face additional penalty payments of up to 5% of its global annual turnover. Google’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker, pushed back sharply, arguing that DMA compliance forces the company to remove real-time Search features that Europeans depend on. Google says it is reviewing the decisions and evaluating an appeal.
The fine brings Google’s total EU antitrust penalties to roughly €10.38 billion over nearly two decades. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera defended the action, stating that the best products should succeed on merit, not by being owned by the company running the search engine.
Source: CNBC – Google Slapped With $1 Billion Fine Under EU Digital Markets Act (July 23, 2026)