EU reportedly plans record fine on Google over mobile system

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s antitrust chief is planning a statement Wednesday amid reports that her office will slap a record $5 billion fine on Google for abusing the market dominance of its Android mobile phone operating system.

The fine was widely expected this week and financial media, including Bloomberg and the Financial Times, reported that the amount would total 4.3 billion euros. The office of antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

In June 2017, regulators already charged Google 2.42 billion euros ($2.8 billion) for favoring its shopping listings in search results. Google appealed that decision, while rolling out a compromise this year that lets competitive comparison shopping engines bid for slots in an auction, a system that critics say still favors the tech giant. /ee