On July 24, 2025, six prominent digital rights groups filed an EU antitrust complaint against Alphabet, Google’s parent company. The allegations levied against Alphabet center around the promise of user freedom, market dominance, and the future of Android. Let’s dive deep into what is going on and why it matters.
Who is filling the complaint?
The six digital rights groups involved in this case include the:
- British human rights organization ARTICLE 19, an organization that champions freedom of expression.
- European Digital Rights (EDRi) is a robust advocate for digital freedom throughout the continent.
- Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), an organization known for pushing free software that users can truly control.
- Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), a German organization known to advocate fundamental human rights and freedom in the digital age.
- Homo Digitalis, a Greece-based organization that defends human rights in the modern digital age.
- Vrijschrift.org from the Netherlands.
Together, these six organizations are a powerhouse coalition focused on human rights and are individually established with track records of holding tech accountable.
What is the allegation about?
Before diving into the allegation, let’s talk about the foundational basis for the allegations against Alphabet.
It all starts with the EU Digital Market Arts (DMA), which was put into law on 2 May, 2023. The regulation was put in place to keep “gatekeepers” (i.e., large digital platforms like app stores, online search engines, and messenger services) in check.
The DMA regulates the power of these gatekeepers through a clear list of do’s (obligations) and don’ts (prohibitions).
Now, one of the prohibitions listed for gatekeepers in the DMA states that “gatekeepers are not allowed to prevent users from uninstalling any pre-installed software or app if they wish.” This prohibition is the driving force behind the antitrust allegation against Alphabet.
In their complaint, they stated, “Alphabet has designed its Core Platform Service Android in a way to hide from end users the possibility to disable its own pre-installed gatekeeper apps.”
The group further stated Google “goes to great lengths to scare away end users” who try anyway by bringing up warnings like “Android and other apps may no longer function as intended.”
According to this, Google isn’t acting in accordance with the DMA’s requirement for easy app uninstallation, and it’s effectively preventing user choice and stifling competition.
How Did Alphabet Respond?
Alphabet didn’t hesitate to refute these allegations, with its spokesperson insisting that “it is easy to uninstall apps on Android devices,” hence the complaints didn’t represent a genuine user concern.
The spokesperson also stated that previous regulators, specifically the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), had already dismissed similar concerns.
Why This Matters to You as a User
Billions of devices in the world are powered by Android, which means Alphabet has an enormous influence over the data we (as users) use and how our data flows. If users can’t easily uninstall Google Apps, rivals like alternative browsers or search engines will get squeezed out.
As a user, your choice in what type of browser or search engine suits you best becomes restricted, and in most cases you might not even know about better browsers because of the monopoly caused by this restriction. This is a plain case of restriction of choice and innovation.
What’s Next?
It is important to note that this isn’t Google’s first rodeo with the EU; the company has faced a series of antitrust investigations and fines. In March 2025, Alphabet faced allegations of self-preferencing in Google Search and bending the rules of Google Play, all violations of the DMA.
For the current antitrust allegation, the EU is in the process of reviewing the complaint, and should they find ground for a breach, they could launch a formal investigation under the DMA, impose fines, enforce remedies, or require Alphabet to change how Android handles pre-installed apps.
