Google sues India's antitrust regulator over leaked probe report

According to Reuters, Google said on Thursday that a confidential report previously provided to the Competition Commission of India ( CCI) was leaked by it and is suing the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

In 2019, India's antitrust regulator ordered an investigation into Google, claiming that Google appeared to be using its dominant position to reduce the ability of device makers to choose alternative versions of its mobile operating system and force them to pre-install Google apps.

According to a report published by India's antitrust agency, Google's mandatory pre-installation of applications "amounts to imposing unfair conditions on device manufacturers" and violates India's competition law. In addition, the report said Google used its Play Store app store position to protect its dominant position.

Later, The Times of India published news that an investigation by the Competition Commission of India ( CCI) found that Google abused the dominant position of the Android operating system in India and used its "huge financial strength" to illegally harm competitors. Google's head said last week that he would do his best to cooperate and look forward to working with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to "show how Android leads to more competition and innovation, not less."

On Thursday, Google issued a statement saying that the Competition Commission of India ( CCI) had leaked confidential investigation reports and that Google would file a lawsuit against the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in the Delhi High Court to prevent the CCI from further illegally disclosing confidential investigation results.

In a statement, Google said it would protest the breach of trust by the Competition Commission of India ( CCI) for leaking a confidential investigation report, which would undermine Google's ability to defend itself and hurt Google and its partners. Google stressed in its statement, "We fully cooperated and maintained confidentiality throughout the investigation, and we hope and expect the same level of confidentiality from the agencies we work with."

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) did not immediately respond to Google's legal action, while a Google spokesperson declined to comment on whether it was seeking to stop the CCI from continuing its investigation.

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