Sina Tech News reported in the early morning of January 10, Beijing time. According to foreign media reports, following the 2018 European CommissionGoogleAfter a $5 billion fine, Android users in the EU will soon be able to choose their default search engine from a list of four options, including Google, when setting up a new phone or tablet.

In July 2018, the European Union announced an antitrust fine of 4.34 billion euros (about 5.04 billion US dollars) against Google. According to the EU, since 2011, Google has imposed some illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile operators based on its dominant position in the Internet search market. In August of last year, Google announced that as part of complying with the European Commission ruling against Andriod, European users will be allowed to choose the default search engine from 2020.

Google announced today that DuckDuckGo and Info.com will appear on settings pages in 31 European markets, whileMicrosoftThe search engine Bing will only appear in one market, the UK. Also, the Czech Republic's Seznam, Russia'sYandexSearch engines such as France's Qwant will also appear in some markets. Google said these options will take effect from March 1 to June 30 this year, and new auctions will be held every quarter.

Each market's three alternative search engines were determined through a “blind auction” where each market set a minimum bid, and eventually the three highest bidders would appear during the country's Android phone installation process. Google believes this is an impartial and objective approach. But the auction also sparked accusations from at least one European search engine that they were excluded from the default settings screen.

Ecosia CEO Christian Kroll (Christian Kroll) said, “We believe this auction is not in line with the spirit of the European Commission ruling in July 2018. Internet users have the right to freely choose the search engine they use, and Google's auction is an affront to our right to a free, open, and united internet.”

Kroll also said why is Google able to decide which options will appear on its settings page. Furthermore, Kroll also said that Ecosia plans to raise broader concerns with EU lawmakers in response to Google's monopoly behavior. (Li Ming)