EU fines Google $1B for two separate DMA violations on search and app store

The European Commission fined Alphabet €890 million on July 23, 2026 for two distinct violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA): self-preferencing in Google Search results (e.g., favoring Google Shopping, Flights, Hotels) and anti-steering restrictions on the Google Play Store that blocked developers from directing users to cheaper subscription or purchase options outside the app. These are the first DMA fines against a major tech company, and they signal that EU regulators are serious about using the law's structural remedies — behavioral orders, interoperability mandates, and data-sharing obligations — rather than toothless settlements.

The fine is dwarfed by Google's $307 billion annual revenue, but the DMA's real teeth lie in the accompanying behavioral remedies: Google must now stop self-preferencing in search and allow developers to steer users freely. If Google fails to comply within 30 days, the Commission can impose daily penalty payments of up to 5% of Alphabet's daily global turnover — roughly $42 million per day. That recurring cost, not the fine, is what might actually alter corporate behavior.

By contrast, the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust case against Google's search monopoly — filed in October 2020 but still on appeal — has produced no structural remedy or conduct remedy as concrete as the DMA's daily penalty regime. The contrast is stark: EU enforcers have used a legislative framework (the DMA) to impose rapid, enforceable obligations, while U.S. enforcers remain stuck in years-long litigation over remedies that may never be applied. This asymmetry matters because Google's dominance in search and app distribution harms every business that depends on digital visibility — and every consumer who pays inflated prices due to lack of competition.