In his ongoing battle against Google's recent Play Store policies, Anupam Mittal, the Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, expressed concern over what he perceives as the emergence of a new Digital East India Company. He emphasized the importance of implementing proper safeguards to prevent these tech giants from exerting control over India's economic landscape.
Mittal stressed that India, under its proactive government, should not succumb to the tactics of Big Tech, which he accuses of spreading falsehoods and manipulating the legal system. He highlighted the core issue of Google and Apple's push to transition the open Internet into a closed app ecosystem, giving them unprecedented dominance over the Internet economy.
The primary grievance, according to Mittal, revolves around Google's proposed fees of 11-30 percent on app developers offering premium services, coupled with monthly audits for potential charges. He participated in discussions with government officials alongside other domestic startups to address this deadlock.
Mittal challenged Google's justifications for these fees, arguing that they are unjustified, particularly since Google primarily offers payment gateway services without significant infrastructure support to developers. He refuted Google's claims of providing a three-year compliance window, asserting that it was Indian courts that halted any punitive measures by the tech giant.
Proposing immediate intervention to prevent Google from bundling services at the device or customer level, Mittal advocated for long-term solutions that involve the unbundling of Google and Apple services, thereby allowing users to choose their preferred app store and default applications on their devices.
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