Alphabet, the parent company of Google, finds itself once again in the spotlight as a coalition of six civil society organizations has lodged an antitrust complaint in Europe. This complaint, reported by Reuters, alleges that Alphabet is in violation of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Allegations of Non-Compliance
Filed on Thursday, the complaint contends that Alphabet has not adhered to DMA stipulations requiring tech “gatekeepers” — firms that provide essential platform services — to enable users to easily uninstall pre-installed applications. Enacted two years ago, the DMA aims to mitigate the dominance of major tech companies and foster a more equitable digital landscape for consumers and competitors alike.
The organizations spearheading this complaint include:
- ARTICLE 19 (UK)
- European Digital Rights (EDRi)
- Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
- Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF) (Germany)
- Homo Digitalis (Greece)
- Vrijschrift.org (Netherlands)
According to the groups, Google’s Android operating system complicates the process for users wishing to remove the company’s own pre-installed apps. They assert, “Alphabet has designed its Core Platform Service Android in a way to hide from end users the possibility to disable its own pre-installed gatekeeper apps.” Furthermore, they claim that Alphabet actively discourages users from discovering how to disable these applications.
The complaint calls on the European Commission to investigate whether Alphabet is indeed breaching the DMA, a pivotal piece of EU legislation that seeks to enhance transparency and protect consumer rights in the tech sector.
Alphabet’s Response
In response to the allegations, Alphabet has dismissed the claims, asserting that “it is easy to uninstall apps on Android devices, so this complaint does not represent a genuine user concern,” according to a Google spokesperson cited by Reuters. The company also pointed out that similar complaints have been previously rejected by other regulatory bodies, including the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The European Commission has acknowledged receipt of the complaint and is currently assessing it in accordance with its standard procedures.
