The European Union and Google are engaged in another battle over allegations the technology giant broke Europe's antitrust laws.
EU antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager says Google has unfairly made its Android operating system give preferential treatment to some of its own services. "Google has abused its dominant position," Vestager said Wednesday.
The Android operating system features many of Google's products and services that facilitate advertising, such as a search engine, maps, Gmail and YouTube.
The European Union is investigating complaints Google penalizes users who change Google's favored designs.
Google responded on its website it believes its business model keeps manufacturers' costs low and their flexibility high, while giving consumers unprecedented control of their mobile devices.
"Google's behavior denies consumers a wider choice of mobile apps and services and stands in the way of innovation," Vestager says.
This is the latest in a series of investigations the 28-nation European Union has launched into Google's business practices. The largest involves allegations Google unfairly favors some of its search services over those developed by competitors.
Google has captured a dominant share of the mobile operating system market since it introduced Android eight years ago. Four out of every five smartphones are powered by Android.
