Investing.com -- Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Senior Director of Competition, Oliver Bethell, issued a statement on Wednesday criticizing the European Union’s (EU) competition rules. The statement came after Google was charged twice for breaching landmark EU regulations. Bethell argues that these rules are negatively affecting consumers and businesses.
The European Commission’s push for more changes to Google Search, Android, and Play is seen as detrimental to European businesses and consumers, according to Bethell. He believes these changes will hinder innovation, weaken security, and degrade product quality.
Bethell expressed concern that the Commission’s findings would require Google to make additional changes to how it displays certain types of search results. This, he argues, would make it more difficult for people to find what they are looking for and would reduce traffic to European businesses. He called this approach "misguided."
As an example, Bethell pointed out that when travel results can’t direct people to airline sites, consumers often end up paying more for tickets because airlines have to pay commissions to intermediary websites. He stated that these changes, among others made in Europe, have already caused European businesses to lose up to 30% of their traffic.
Furthermore, Bethell warned that the Commission’s findings on Android and Play could expose Europeans to more malware and fraud. He argued that these findings create a false choice between openness and security. If Google can’t protect its users from harmful links that take them outside of the secure Play environment, then the company is being forced to choose between a closed model and an unsafe one, according to Bethell.
Bethell also argued that if Google can’t charge reasonable fees to support the ongoing development of Android and the Play services it offers, then the company can’t invest in an open platform that powers billions of phones globally.
Despite his criticisms, Bethell confirmed that Google will continue to engage with the Commission and comply with its rules. However, he warned that the findings increase the risk of a worse experience for Europeans. He concluded by expressing hope that a way to address these concerns could be found.
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