Alphabet said to be under scrutiny in India for antitrust violations

Google parent company Alphabet is reportedly being investigated by India’s antitrust body over its alleged abuse of the Android mobile platform. According to a Reuters India article published earlier today, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, Google is being accused of unfairly using Android to hinder rival services.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has apparently been reviewing the case for six months, and has already met with Google executives “at least once” in recent months to discuss the complaint, wrote Reuters. If the case has weight, the CCI may request further investigation, or otherwise toss it out.

Google declined to comment on Reuters’ story and the CCI did not respond.

This wouldn’t be the first time Alphabet has faced antitrust accusations lately. Last year, the European Commission found Google guilty of antitrust offenses resulting in a 4.34 billion euro (~$5 billion) fine. The E.U. commission said Google had made smartphone brands pre-install Google Search, Chrome and the Play Store on Android devices to cement its search engine dominance, thus abusing its power. Google has challenged this outcome.

According to one of Reuters sources, the CCI investigation is “on the lines of the E.U. case, but at a preliminary stage.”

Whether this information is accurate or not, we could be waiting a while for the result: Reuters says the CCI’s investigations can take years to complete.