The Competition Commission of India has been chasing Google since October 2022 against the backdrop of antitrust laws. With hefty fines being levied by the Indian government, the tech giant has warned about a potential price hike in the smartphone market and other issues that the economy may face. 

In a blog post last week, Google raised the alarm that devices built on ‘forks’ would prevent the big tech from securing them from cybercrime, bugs, and malware, as these versions will not support Google’s security and user safety features. Although currently, Google holds itself accountable for Play Store applications as well as compliance with local laws, the same may not be available for apps sideloaded from other sources.

Moreover, in a forked Android environment, developers will have to prioritise various incompatible ‘forks’ they write and maintain apps for, as the costs are bound to increase with additional versions they support. This will refrain users from accessing important online services simply because developers may not be able to invest in developing applications for their device, said the smartphone maker. 

The Antitrust Chronicle

In 2022, CCI imposed a whopping INR 1,337 crore fine on Google for misusing its dominant position in the Android mobile ecosystem and INR 936 crore for abusing its monopoly through Play Store. The commission also held Google responsible for getting into one-sided agreements with smartphone makers to dominate the Android ecosystem. Google filed its application before the NCLAT at the end of December, challenging the CCI’s October 2022 order imposing the penalty. 

Last year, in a similar case, Google paid 4.125 billion Euros to the European Union after losing its appeal in an antitrust case linked to its Android operating system. 

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud asked Google’s counsel if the company was ready to have the same standards in India as it did in Europe. He also said that the CCI order was passed on October 20, but Google went before the NCLAT much later and could have filed an appeal earlier, as per LiveLaw.

India Plays Hard to Get

A project to create a mobile operating system called ‘IndOS’ is reportedly in the works by the Indian government. A government official has confirmed to Business Standard that the new OS would be safer, give more options and offer stiff competition to Google and Apple.

As of December 2022, Android held a major 96% market share in the mobile OS Indian market. Moreover, in 2022, the annual application downloads in India hit a new high of 29 billion, making it the second biggest app market globally, after China, offering developers a strong platform to establish viable businesses on Play. However, as the Indian market becomes increasingly hard to ignore for Big Tech, regulatory pressure is also making companies like Google anxious.

After coming under heavy scrutiny, it seems that Google is trying to reconcile with the Indian government with a billion-dollar investment through Google for India Digitization Fund, purchasing a stake in Jio Platforms. 

In 2022, Google launched ‘India Ki Udaan‘ to mark 75 years of Independence. Meanwhile, Google also announced its collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, alongwith a grant of $1 million to IIT Madras for setting up a Centre for Responsible AI. Besides, Google for India, 2022, which was held with much fanfare in New Delhi, witnessed the declaration of a plethora of such programmes in their commitment to building a more inclusive, helpful, and safer internet for every Indian. 

The scale at which tech is expanding and touching people’s lives worldwide makes it imperative to have tighter regulations in place. Countries need to consider how best to safeguard their citizens, be it privacy or security. “It’s an important phase and we are engaging constructively, Pichai said while elaborating on the company’s views on India’s tech regulations. 

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