India antitrust body to probe Google, ’s in-app billing amid dispute with startups
India’s antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), ordered an investigation into Alphabet Inc’s Google for its in-app billing system policies, which are alleged to be implemented in a discriminatory manner against local startups. This decision follows complaints from Indian startups about the fees Google charges for in-app payments. The dispute intensified after Google removed over 100 Indian apps from its app store for billing violations, which were later restored following intervention by the Indian government. The CCI has directed its investigation unit to complete the probe within 60 days. Google, which denies any wrongdoing, asserts that the fees are for supporting investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, allowing for their free distribution. This investigation comes after Google was previously ordered by Indian antitrust authorities in 2022 to dismantle a system that charged a 15% to 30% fee on in-app payments, with efforts from some Indian startups to prevent Google from imposing a fee of 11% to 26%.